Questions of equity

But, if equality is imperfectly understood, then the notion of “equity” poses an even bigger challenge to the nation’s political comprehension. For many – perhaps most – people, the word ‘equity” is a synonym for the word “equality”. But the assumption that “equity” and “equality” mean roughly the same thing could not be more wrong. This is where the propensity of New Zealanders to treat equity and equality as synonyms leaves Team Equity facing an enormous problem. It presents a twenty-year plan to give effect to the promises of equity (not equality) embodied in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.