Indigenous Belief in a Just World: New Zealand Māori and other Ethnicities Compared

Striking differences in economic outcomes exist within New Zealand for Māori relative to the non-Māori population.

This paper analyses whether certain beliefs and values differ systematically between Māori and non-Māori, while recognising that there is not a uniform culture for either group. Many of the beliefs and values we examine have been linked to the adoption of particular individual actions that may affect economic outcomes. For example, prior research indicates a person who believes that the world is not ‘just’, in the sense of believing that success is due to luck and connections rather than individual effort, may not be motivated to seek educational achievements, nor see the point of working hard at a job.