Changes in the Maori Income Distribution: Evidence from the Population Census

This paper uses census data to identify the main changes in the individual-level income distribution of working-aged Maori between 1991 and 2001, and to analyse the effects of changes in the distribution of socio-demographic attributes and labour market activity patterns on the Maori income distribution. There was substantial real income growth at most points in the income distribution, and particularly at points above the 30th percentile, but a decline in real incomes at the very lowest percentiles. The socio-demographic and labour market changes considered help to explain much of the income growth that was recorded at lower-middle to upper levels of income. However, they fail to account for the increase in the proportion of people with negative, nil, or very low incomes.Individual income distribution, Inequality, Maori

Understanding Changes in Mâori Incomes and Income Inequality 1997-2003

This paper reports findings from a study of changes in Mâori income levels and income dispersion between 1997 and 2003. Data from Statistics New Zealand’s Income Survey are used to describe and evaluate the main changes in the Mâori income distribution in this period, which was marked by substantial increases in employment rates and improvements in the skill levels of working-aged Mâori. A parallel analysis of the main changes in the European/Pâkehâ income distribution is provided for comparative purposes. The results show significant reductions in the proportion of Mâori with no weekly income in the reference week, or incomes of $150–200 a week, and significant increases in the proportion with incomes above the peak income level of approximately$550 per week. Income inequality within the total working-aged Mâori population declined, while income inequality among employed Mâori was stable. An analysis of some of the key factors contributing to change in the income distribution suggests that the transition of many Mâori into employment during this period was the single most important driver of change.Individual income distribution; Inequality; Mâori; Kernel density estimation

Changes in the Mâori Income Distribution: Evidence from the Population Census

This paper uses census data to identify the main changes in the individual-level income distribution of working-aged Mâori between 1991 and 2001, and to analyse the effects of changes in the distribution of socio-demographic attributes and labour market activity patterns on the Mâori income distribution. There was substantial real income growth at most points in the income distribution, and particularly at points above the 30th percentile, but a decline in real incomes at the very lowest percentiles. The socio-demographic and labour market changes considered help to explain much of the income growth that was recorded at lower- middle to upper levels of income. However, they fail to account for the increase in the proportion of people with negative, nil, or very low incomes.Individual income distribution, Inequality, Mâori

Understanding Changes in Maori Incomes and Income Equality 1997-2003

This paper reports findings from a study of changes in Maori income levels and income dispersion between 1997 and 2003. Data from Statistics New Zealand's Income Survey are used to describe and evaluate the main changes in the Maori income distribution in this period, which was marked by substantial increases in employment rates and improvements in the skill levels of working-aged Maori. A parallel analysis of the main changes in the European/Pakeha income distribution is provided for comparative purposes. The results show significant reductions in the proportion of Maori with no weekly income in the reference week, or incomes of $150-200 a week, and significant increases in the proportion with incomes above the peak income level of approximately$550 per week. Income inequality within the total working-aged Maori population declined, while income inequality among employed Maori was stable. An analysis of some of the key factors contributing to change in the income distribution suggests that the transition of many Maori into employment during this period was the single most important driver of change.Individual income distribution; Inequality; Maori; Kernel density estimation

Cost Utility Analysis in Health Policy

The problem of valuing the benefits of health care programmes is a ubiquitous one in health economics. since most health care systems in OECD countries have a large element of public provision, many of the goods and services they provide do not have market prices. Where markets in health care do exist, the prices generated are unlikely to provide reliable signals of the relative value of these goods and services to society, due to numerous market imperfections. Over the last fifteen years, the technique of cost-utility analysis has been developed as a new approach to the problem of valuing health care benefits. A distinctive feature of cost-utility analysis (CUA) lies in the fact that the outcomes of health care programmes are valued not in monetary terms but in terms of a new unit, the quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY), which embodies both the life-saving and the quality-of-life-improving dimensions of health care. The method of cost-utility analysis has two main elements: an analysis of the additional utilities (or quality-adjusted-life-years) generated by health care interventions, and an analysis of the costs entailed

The Growth of Earnings Inequality, 1984-1997: Trends and Sources of Change

Changes in the distribution of earnings in New Zealand between 1984 and 1997 are examined in this paper. There is evidence of growth in the inequality of both weekly and hourly earnings. Decomposition of the changes suggests that the increases in the dispersion of earnings were largely due to increased inequality within groups of workers with similar observed levels of education, age and potential work experience. 1·

The Quality of Temporary Jobs: Insights from the Survey of Working Life

This paper discusses some of the insights that can be gained from the Survey of Working Life (2008) on the main features of temporary employment, the reasons that are given for working in a temporary job, and the pay and conditions of temporary employees. In the March 2008 quarter 9.4 percent of employees were working in temporary jobs. Most of the older adults and more than half of the young adults who were employed on a temporary basis indicated that they preferred temporary work, while prime­aged adults were roughly equally divided between preferring temporary work and wanting a permanent job. There were substantial differences between temporary and permanent employees in the job quality indicators considered, but also substantial differences among the four main types of temporary worker (casual, fixed­term, temporary employment agency and seasonal)

Transition From Work to Retirement: Evidence from LEED

Survey evidence suggests that the majority of New Zealanders would prefer to make a gradual transition from work to retirement, rather than move abruptly from full-time work to non-employment. This study describes the employment patterns and transitions of people who were aged in their 60s and moved from wage or salary employment to inactivity during the 1999-2005 period, using longitudinal data from the Linked Employer-Employee Dataset. Four different types o f transition to retirement were defined and the relative frequency o f each explored. We find that phased transitions, involving either part-time work or a number of transitions in and out of employment before the final exit, were far more common than discrete transitions from full-time work to non-employment. Men were more likely than women to take a traditional path from work to retirement. There were some significant variations in the frequency of different work-to-retirement paths across major industries, but phased transitions were more prevalent than traditional in all major industries

The Distribution of Earnings in New Zealand

Changes in the distribution of individual earnings between 1984 and 1995 are examined using data from the Household Economic Survey. Several dimensions of changes in the earnings structure are considered, including measures of aggregate earnings inequality, the gender earnings gap and shifts in relative earnings by level of educational attainment. Changes in the variance of earnings are decomposed to identify more clearly the source of the tendencies towards and against greater inequality. Evidence is found of a rise in hourly earnings inequality among males over the decade. However, the effects of this trend on the total earnings distribution were offset by a rise in the female share of employment and a narrowing of the gap between male and female average hourly earnings

Maori economic development - Glimpses from statistical sources

This draft book chapter provide an overview of Maori economic development during the past 150 years, drawing on readily available statistical and historical sources. The path of Maori economic development that we have traced through statistical evidence is one of ongoing change and adaptation, as well as one of substantial increase in material standards of living, albeit with periods of significant setback.Maori economic development