An interview with Employment Minister Willie Jackson turned sour after a stoush over Maori unemployment figures and the definition of targeted policies.
RNZ's Guyon Espiner spoke to Mr Jackson about the latest unemployment statistics on Morning Report today.
Statistics New Zealand showed overall unemployment was 4.5 per cent in the December 2017 quarter, dropping from 4.6 per cent.
Mr Epsiner pointed out Maori unemployment fell 20 per cent over 2017 to nine per cent, compared to 11.9 per cent the same time last year.
Mr Jackson said he wasn't sure where he was getting his percentage statistics from, to which Mr Espiner replied: "Mate, I'm getting it from the press release put out from Statistics New Zealand, and as Employment Minister I'd expect you to know that, it's only four pars in."
The Statistics NZ release says: "In the December 2017 year, the number of Maori unemployed fell 8,600 (down 21.4 per cent)."
Mr Jackson had correctly said Maori unemployment fell to nine per cent, compared with the overall unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent.
"The reality is that Maori unemployment figure is nine per cent, that's double what the general population is."
"That's totally unacceptable."
"If you think everything is hunky-dory, it's not."
Mr Espiner said Finance Minister Grant Robertson yesterday said there would not be any specific spending for targeting any employment disparities for Maori.
"That's not true," Mr Jackson said. "There has also been specific spending." He said housing and Labour's family package would benefit Maori "hugely".
Mr Espiner shot back saying, "they get the same as everyone else under those policies".
"We're pleased things are going generally in the right direction, however the other side of it is there are still some discrepancies," Mr Jackson said.
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