State of Pacific Peoples Report

Did you know there is no such thing as “Pacific People”? This term, a Western-created category of convenience, fails to capture the vastness and diversity of the Pacific region, which spans over 25,000 islands scattered across the largest ocean on Earth. Covering a third of the planet’s surface, each island and nation holds unique cultures, languages, and values that cannot be simplified into a single label. Despite this, data aggregates Pacific people as one, adding complexity to the storytelling of People from the Pacific. 

Pacific people currently represent 9% of the total population, with more than half of Pacific people under the age of 25 years old, understanding the plight of Pacific is not only essential to their wellbeing but to that of Aotearoa’s future. The State of Pacific Peoples Report builds on earlier reports by the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, More Than Churches, Rugby, and Festivals (2013) and This is Home (2014), and examines the social progress and setbacks Pacific communities in Aotearoa have faced over the past decade.  

Significant milestones have been achieved, including a more than halved youth suicide rate, nearly doubled employment numbers among Pacific peoples, and a two-thirds drop in youth offending. Additionally, Pacific people leaving prison are now less likely to be reimprisoned or reconvicted compared with the general population. 

Yet, challenges remain. More than 5,000 children have been lifted out of material hardship since 2019, but at the same time, the number of Pacific children in hardship has risen by nearly 5,000. Pacific children now make up 14% of all children in New Zealand, a proportion that is rapidly growing. With child poverty targets rising, as many as 23,000 children could be left behind—and Pacific children are likely to bear the brunt of this impact. School attendance has sharply declined, and only 20 percent of Pacific students currently achieve University Entrance. While average earnings for Pacific people have increased, they remain nearly $10,000 lower than the general population. 

The report emphasizes both the strength of Pacific communities which are a reminder of the resilience of early Pacific migrants, who built lives in New Zealand despite limited resources and opportunities but also the significant challenges and the need for collective solutions to overcome the current issues. The progress of the past decade offers valuable lessons and opportunities, but the solutions moving forward to address these issues can only be achieved through Pacific and non-Pacific communities working together for the betterment of Aotearoa.