Changes in Student Allowances in 2008

Allowances recipients by main ethnic group

It is not mandatory for students to declare their ethnicity and students may report more than one ethnicity.  In 2008, based on the full-response counts¹³, 50 percent of allowances recipients were New Zealand European and 23 percent were Asian.  Māori represented 13 percent of recipients and Pasifika 6 percent. About 4 percent were students from other ethnic groups and 3 percent of allowances recipients did not specify their ethnicity.

New Zealand Europeans contributed 66 percent to the 3,200 increase in the number of allowance recipients in 2008.  This is different from 2006 when Asian students contributed 65 percent of the 2,600 increase in the number of allowance recipients.

In 2008, the average annual allowance of Asian recipients was about $700 higher than the overall average annual allowance of $6,000.

Figure 8: Proportion of student allowances recipients by ethnic group

The average age of allowances recipients differed for the ethnic groups. In 2008, New Zealand European students were aged 25 years, on average, and Pasifika students 26 years. Māori and Asian allowances recipients were slightly older, on average, at 28 years and 29 years, respectively. Overall, the average age of allowances recipients was 26.5 years.

The gender proportions differed for the ethnic groups as well.  The proportions of female allowances recipients in 2008 were 56 percent for New Zealand Europeans, 55 percent for Pasifika, 53 percent for Asians, 52 percent for Māori and 44 percent for the Other ethnic group.  Overall, the proportion of females was 54 percent.

Footnote

13. Counts based on multiple responses.