Maori home-ownership plummets...

The proportion of Māori owning their homes has fallen by 20% between 1986 and the last census, 2013.

This is compared to a total decline of just over 15%.

Pasifika communities have seen home ownership decline by almost 35%.

The figure below graphs the changes since 1991:

There are significant differences between regions, with Whangarei, Rotorua, Hastings, Tauranga and South and West Auckland seeing the largest drops:

Home ownership is a part of the Kiwi dream, what use to go under the proverb of a The Half Gallon Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise. Yeah this has gone the way of the American dream and dinosaurs but it says something of this economy when Maori are increasingly excluded despite festishising the so-called Maori economy...

Full report and Spreadsheets by Statistics NZ available here

Housing in a Post-disaster landscape: Otautahi/Christchurch

A report just published by Te Puawaitanga ki Otautahi reveals how bad the situation is in the city after the earthquakes. Their survey found that housing has 'declined dramatically' with the standard of most housing deteriorating and the high costs of private rental meaning many whanau have to share their home with extended family, sometimes having to relocate outside of the city.

A key challenge is finding warm dry affordable housing.

As a result of poor housing, health risks have increased, particularly skin infections and respiratory problems, anxiety and stress.

Babies are at higher risk to SIDS.

Given some of the raised eyebrows I get when I keep presenting and publishing how bad the post-disaster city is for many Maori, it is getting (quoting Alice in Wonderland) curiouser and curiouser how little attention this gets by Maori and non-Maori authorities.

It is also difficult to see this situation improving anytime soon. Think back to when the Minister of Earthquake Recovery assured us the 'the market' would provide solutions.

He's dead right of course, and this is what the market solution looks like.

Full report available here

Housing stats for Maori

Here's the latest (admittedly broad) whare ownership stats for Aotearoa/NZ
• European (I think they may mean Pakeha :) 56.8%
• Asian  34.8%
• Māori  28.2%
• Pacific peoples  18.5%

For better or for worse, paying off our own homes is an important savings mechanism in our country. While there has been some gnashing of teeth at the overall decline of home ownership, the implications are that Maori are more likely to be paying rent as old people and less likely to have discretionary income.