Major investors back new effort to probe what Maori really think

A major new nationwide research service aimed at advising senior decision makers what Maori “really think” launches today.

Horizon Research Limited says it expects to have more than 2000 Maori registered with its HorizonPoll Maori Paneland completing special surveys by the end of this week.

Horizon’s Manager, Grant McInman, says demand for the new service is being driven by organisations which responsible for making decisions worth hundreds of millions in relation to Maori assets.

“They want a robust way of knowing what Maori think nationally and iwi-by-iwi. They tell us it is hard to tell until now how engaged Maori feel with their iwi, if they’re being consulted properly on major investments, if they’re personally seeing any benefit from billions paid in Treaty of Waitangi settlements, and what should become of Government Maori language initiatives now costing $250 million a year.”

The HorizonPoll Maori Panel will be able to research views iwi-by-iwi as well as nationally and is expected to be the largest specialist service of its type.

To produce highly robust results representing the Maori population, .Horizon will be weighting results against Maori census profiles including age, income, location, educational qualifications, gender and party vote

Its clients will have direct log-in access to its unique online results analysis and reporting system.

Typically Horizon, through its national population survey panel, HorizonPoll(www.horizonpoll.co.nz), is able to generate fully weighted national surveys within 12 hours.

“We're aiming to make sure Maori are heard, and have some influence,” Mr McInman says.

Those registering with the Maori Panel will immediately be invited to complete their first survey. Among other issues, it will measure satisfaction with iwi, treaty settlements, foreshore and seabed issues, how much Maori really care about being engaged in policy making; which parties will get their electorate and party votes – and which of Labour or National they would prefer the Maori Party to support if it wins seats at November’s general election.

Registration for the HorizonPoll Maori Panel survey is online at http://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/research/joinmaoripanel.asp.

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