Chronology for 1938-1971
Assimilating into universal welfare
Labour’s policies were underpinned by a principle of universality and a vision of the nation as a classless community. Rich, middle-class and poor were linked by the same national system of state support and social services; superannuation, however small, was to be available to every aged person who was not already on another benefit and was an important symbol of citizenship. The ‘system as a whole was removed from ‘the taint of charity’ and became a source of national pride’.[i] go to footnote
This was a period of great demographic change for iwi Māori with the mass migration of its rural population to the cities of New Zealand. The need for workers in essential industries and the post-war labour boom provided rangatahi and whānau Māori with ample employment, 'incomes that were almost equal to those of Pākehā, and access to family welfare benefits that boosted the incomes of large families by around 50 percent.'[ii] go to footnote However, the financial rewards were offset by one or both parents working long hours to cover the costs of city living and it exposed Māori to discrimination. The Department of Māori Affairs played a welfare role in the lives of whānau Māori during this period, with a policy of integrating Māori into the social fabric of ‘mainstream’ New Zealand society. Through housing allocation policies attempts were made to pepper pot Māori in Pākehā suburban streets.[iii] go to footnote Young Māori women who moved to the cities for essential industry work or single rangatahi simply moving to the city for work opportunities were directed into hostels.
Before the 1950s, child welfare agencies endeavoured to keep Māori children with their families or in their own tribal area.[iv] go to footnote In the 1950s, Māori became a disproportionate minority in all areas of child welfare work with a steady growth in Māori juvenile delinquency with recorded Māori offending at three or four times the rate of Pākehā, particularly in the 15–20 age.[v] go to footnote
Chronology events
Displaying 251 - 260 of 270 events.
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Families Commission disestablished
The Families and Whānau Wellbeing Research Programme, and Growing Up in New Zealand, were transferred to the Research and Evaluation Unit of MSD.[i]
Date: 2018 Period: 1990-current -
Section 70a benefit reductions removed
Under section 70a of the Social Security Act 1964, the benefit received by a sole parent is reduced for each dependent child for whom they do not seek child support [subject to some exemptions]. The reductions apply if a sole parent receiving benefit does …
Date: 2018 Period: 1990-current -
Te Arawhiti established
In 2018 Cabinet agreed to establish Te Arawhiti – an agency to oversee the Government’s work with Māori in a post-Treaty settlement era. Te Arawhiti’s scope includes: Te Kāhui Whakatau (Treaty Settlements), Te Kāhui Whakamana (Settlement Commitments), and …
Date: 2018 Period: 1990-current -
Welfare Expert Advisory Group established
The government established the Welfare Expert Advisory Group to provide advice on the future of New Zealand’s social security system. The report, Whakamana Tangata, Restoring Dignity to Social Security in New Zealand was released in May 2019, and made over…
Date: 2018 Period: 1990-current -
Child and youth wellbeing strategy
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) introduced the strategy, framework and programme of action.[i]
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current -
Inquiries into uplift of a week-old baby
The two inquiries focused on what became known as the ‘Hastings Uplift’ by Oranga Tamariki. This involved an attempted uplifting of a baby without notice under a section 78 custody order in May 2019. The mother’s first child had been taken into care and de…
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current -
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities was established.[i]
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current -
s7AA Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
Section 7AA came into force on 1 July 2019. It sets out specific duties of the chief executive in order to ‘recognise and provide a practical commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (te Tiriti o Waitangi)’ as stipulated by section 4 of the A…
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current -
Te Pae Tawhiti and Te Pae Tata launched
Te Pae Tawhiti was introduced by MSD as a strategic direction. The three strategic shifts included: Mana Manaaki (creating a positive experience); Kotahitanga (partnering for greater impact) and Kia Takatū tatou (supporting long-term social and economic de…
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current -
Treasury introduces first Wellbeing Budget
This Budget encouraged agencies to develop wellbeing measures for reporting, and looked beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP), to ‘improving the wellbeing of our people, protecting the environment and strengthening of our communities.’[i]
Date: 2019 Period: 1990-current
Footnotes
- [i] go to main content Tim Garlick, Social Developments: An organizational history of the Ministry of Social Development and its predecessors, 1860-2011, Steele Roberts Aotearoa, Wellington, 2012, p.70.
- [ii] go to main content Melissa Matutina Williams, Panguru and the City, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2010, p. 195.
- [iii] go to main content Urbanisation – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- [iv] go to main content Bronwyn Dalley, Family Matters, Wellington, 1998, p. 6.
- [v] go to main content Dalley, 1998, p. 192.