3.2.2 Childhood economic disadvantage
The relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and increased risk of later persistent offending is also well-established 1. Table 4 below shows a greater proportion of Mâori than non-Mâori suffer socio-economic disadvantage, based on the presence of indicators such as low income, receipt of state benefit, crowding, lack of access to a car, and lack of telephone access.
Table 4: Socioeconomic indicators by ethnic group (%)
| Indicator |
Mâori |
non-Mâori |
| School completion (6th form cert. or higher) |
32.5 |
50.8 |
| Unemployed, age 15+ years |
11.4 |
4.0 |
| Total personal income less than $10,000, 15+ years |
30.1 |
24.1 |
| Receiving means-tested benefit 15+ years |
30.7 |
11.5 |
| Living in household without telephone access, 15+ years |
12.5 |
6.1 |
| Living in household without motor vehicle access, 15+ years |
11.9 |
5.6 |
| Not living in own home, 15+ years |
64.8 |
39.1 |
| Household crowding, all age groups |
21 |
6.9 |
Ministry of Health. http://www.health.govt.nz/nz-health-statistics/health-statistics-and-data-sets/maori-health-data-and-stats
1 Boyle Michael H & Lipman Ellen l (2002) Do places matter? Socioeconomic disadvantage and behavioural problems of children in Canada. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, Vol. 70, No. 2, 378-389.