LINDSAY MITCHELL: Who relies most heavily on welfare?
- Administrator
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
This short piece is a partial answer to the question posed. It addresses the ‘who’ but not the ‘why’.
The following chart uses Census data from Statistics NZ and benefit data from MSD. Both sets are from March 2023.
At that time there were 345,417 individuals reliant on a main benefit which primarily comprised Jobseeker (formerly Unemployment and Sickness benefits), Supported Living Payment (formerly Invalid benefit) and Sole Parent Support (formerly DPB). By April 2025 the total had risen to 399,792.
Chinese people had the lowest dependency rate at 2.4 percent. The highest rate is for Māori at 23 percent. Each of the Asian rates is very low, as is the Latin American. The Pacific rates are middling to high, headed by Cook Island Māori at 19.8 percent.
Another way to answer the question is that 1 in 40 Chinese receive a main benefit versus 1 in 5 Cook Island Māori.
Limitations
In deriving the dependency percentage, the chart uses the 15–64-year-old population as the denominator (18–64-year-old data was not readily available.) The benefit data however applies to 18–64-year-olds. The denominator is therefore larger than it should be meaning that the percentages are somewhat understated.
Because the Pacific and Māori populations are relatively young, the denominator distortion will be greater. For instance, the median age for Māori is 26.8 whereas the median age for Chinese is 36.2. Therefore, the derived percentages for younger populations are more understated than those for the older populations. The younger populations have proportionately higher numbers in the 15,16- and 17-year-old age-band.
With both sets of data “people can identify with more than one ethnic group, and are counted for each ethnic group they identify with.”
Sources
Lindsay Mitchell blogs here
What a sad little nation we are.
No one could be surprised that Māori and Pasifka head the numbers on welfare. However, what surprises me in this chart is that African and Middle Eastern peoples are making swift inroads. Why in this day and age when our welfare bill is growing exponentially would we import people from far away with no historical connection to this country who clearly have nothing to contribute. Why? We’ve got plenty here already that don’t work.
New Zealand has become a third world nation in health, education and unemployment. To turn the country around, in an ideal world, the government would combine solutions to deal with those long term vexed issues such as illiteracy and truancy in education and the burgeoning intergenerational reliance on welfare. instead it should emphasise, promote and reward independence, self sufficiency and sustainability, instead of indigence at the taxpayers expense..
It is the governments duty to change and prepare the nation for difficult times ahead, instead of borrowing to prop up unsustainable lifestyles, welfare expectations and Maoridom's demands.
Link future welfare payments to school attendance to incentivise attendance and learning at school.
Make attendance at school compulsory for all school age students…
So more than 75% of Maori are in employment and not benefit dependent. By all means let's get every fit bludger off the couch, but can we do it without the racial stereotyping please? Difficult I know when the leftists are always using race as an explanation of their problems and entitlements. But we are better than them - aren't we?
The Chinese and Indians are mostly middleclass people escaping overcrowding and pollution. The skills based migration program lets them come here, settle and then get a job. They have a negative effect on housing and infrastructure but do nothing for productivity.
Our biggest industry is property. The accommodation supplement is a $2B boondoggle for landlords.