New Zealand gets its first race relations minister

New Zealand got its first ever race relations minister yesterday as the Labor-led government attempted to head off voter discontent over its policies favoring indigenous Maori.

Prime Minister Helen Clark created the post after recent polls showed support for her administration slumping on the back of opposition attacks on laws giving preferential treatment to Maori.

Opposition National Party leader Don Brash said last month if he won power he would eliminate special treatment for the country's indigenous people, in part by abolishing the seven seats set aside for Maori in New Zealand's 120-seat Parliament, and by ensuring welfare is allocated on the basis of need rather than race.

Support for the National Party jumped 17 percentage points in two recent polls to 45 percent, eight points ahead of Labor, which fell to 37 percent.

Brash, a former central bank governor, said the response showed many New Zealanders rejected Labor's approach in dealing with Maori, who are among the poorest and most disadvantaged members of New Zealand society.

Clark said newly appointed Race Relations Minister Trevor Mallard would carry out a full review of government policies toward Maori "to assure ourselves they are based on meeting need."

"What we are hearing ... is New Zealanders want people to have a fair go. They want equality of opportunity," she said. "The whole idea of reducing inequality is to do it across the board -- regardless of race," she said.

Clark said the government wanted "to speed up" the process of settling historic Maori grievances over illegal land seizures by colonizers in the 19th century.

She said the new minister will also be responsible for issues involving Asian migrants.

Asked whether she was aware of tensions in New Zealand over the rising number of Asian immigrants, Clark said migrant tensions have stretched back at least 120 years.

"People raising issues about migrants is not new in our history," she said, "and undoubtedly each new group that comes, there will be some sort of tension as people settle in and adjust to each other."

The anti-immigrant New Zealand First Party said yesterday that all Asian students entering New Zealand should be searched to prevent them from importing flu pills that can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.

It made the call after a newspaper reported that some Asian students were bringing thousands of flu pills into New Zealand for sale to illegal drug-making factories.