The Ministry for Pacific Peoples invites feedback on its Long-term Insights Briefing
The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is seeking feedback to help shape its second Long-term Insights Briefing focussed on understanding the experiences of people who identify as Māori-Pacific individuals.
“Many of our youth now have shared Māori-Pacific whakapapa, which means they navigate complex identities that can affect their social, cultural, and economic experiences,” says Secretary for Pacific Peoples, Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone.
The Ministry’s next briefing will address the limited insight about those with multicultural heritage, particularly those who identify as both Māori and Pacific. The briefing would approach this topic by seeking input on the experiences of Māori-Pacific people and the broader implications for community cohesion, support services, and future New Zealand society.
“There has been little research on this topic in New Zealand, and this future-focused think-piece aims to fill our gaps in understanding,” adds Gerardine.
The Ministry’s first Long-term Insights briefing published in 2022, determined limitations in the way government collects ethnicity data. Census 2023 also reflects our shifting population dynamics: more than 40% of Pacific peoples identify with more than one ethnicity, and 20% (1 in 5) of Pacific peoples identify as both Māori and Pacific.
Long-term Insights Briefings are not just a requirement under the Public Service Act 2020, they are a crucial part of our duty of public service stewardship. These briefings, developed independently of ministers and not current government policy, play a role in understanding future challenges and opportunities for New Zealand.
It’s important we have the community’s views on the topic and its scope. Further details on our proposed long-term insights briefing, including how to provide feedback, can be found in the consultation document:
Shared Futures: Understanding Māori-Pacific Identity in New Zealand.
Have your say by completing a quick online survey.
Submissions close 5pm Friday 6 December 2024.