Research commissioned by Toi Mai shows the wellbeing benefits of working in the technology sector to Māori and Pacific people and their children.   

The work – Evaluating wellbeing in the Technology Sector – was undertaken by EY to deepen understanding of socioeconomic outcomes for individuals pursuing careers in the technology sector.   

In particular, Toi Mai wanted to deepen our understanding of the experience of Māori and Pacific people working in tech and their children. Māori and Pacific people are both underrepresented in New Zealand’s technology sector.   

EY focused on measuring a range of socioeconomic outcomes, including income, health and education. The research highlights the importance of identifying factors behind intergenerational wellbeing, but suggests working in tech links with other benefits – beyond the effect of income – with better health and education outcomes for the children of Māori and Pacific people working in tech.

 

Some of the key findings for Māori and Pacific people working in the tech space:  

Education and employment

• Less likely to require tertiary qualifications to work in tech than non-Māori and Pacific people.

• Community and work-based training/upskilling initiatives are encouraging more non-quality Māori into the tech space.

• Up to 30% longer tenure with employers and less time unemployed.
    

Income and other benefits  

• Underrepresentation in higher income bands as there’s a relatively low employment ceiling with more senior roles going to non-Māori and Pacific people.  

• Lower likelihood of receiving any form of health treatment, including for mental health conditions (likely due to less need than access) – this effect is larger for non-Māori and Pacific tech workers, illustrating differences in outcomes remain.  

• Higher earners gone out on their own as contractors.  

• Likely to earn more compared to wider Māori and Pacific working population.  

• Easier to earn better income (to a certain point) in tech despite lower rate of tertiary qualifications.
  
  

Some of the key findings for children of Māori and Pacific people working in the tech sector:  

The research suggests that work in the tech sector is correlated with better health and education outcomes for their children, even when adjusted for income. However, it is not clear from this research what is behind these outcomes. Some of the key differences are outlined below.  

Health   

• Māori children have lower incidence of substance treatment compared to other sectors.  

Education  

• Lower rates of truancy, suspensions and stand-downs than those with parents outside the tech sector.  

• More stable schooling, being more likely to stay in the same school, and for longer.  

• Māori children are more likely to leave school with an NCEA qualification, including level 3.

Read the full EY report on the Toi Mai website.   

We recently published this insight on our website, together with several other research reports we have used over the past three-and-a-half years to deepen our understanding of the industries we represent.  Find them here: Unreleased research

We encourage other government and non-government agencies to use this research to inform their own work.