27 November 2023
Hannah Rayner
[FYI request #24676 email] Tēnā koe Hannah
Your request for Official information, reference: HNZ00032247
Thank you for your request on 7 November 2023, asking for the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act). Your request has been transferred to us by the Department of
Internal Affairs on 16 November:
“I am requesting information pertaining to excess death rates pertaining to the Kaikoura
District (only)
Can you please provide excess death rates; non covid related; pertaining to the Kaikoura
District (only) for the following years : 2020/ 2021/ 2022/ upto and including present day
2023.
Can you please provide excess death rates; covid related; pertaining to the Kaikoura
District (only) for the following years : 2020/ 2021/ 2022/ upto and including present day
2023.”
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand does not hold data relating to excess deaths specifically for
the Kaikōura area. Therefore, your request is declined under section 18(e) of the Act as the
information does not exist.
The following information is relevant to your request and may be of interest.
The number of deaths registered during 2022 was 38,574, up 3,642 (10.4 percent) from the
previous year. The increased number of deaths in 2022 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
O
n COVID-19 Trends and Insights published by Manatū Hauora, just under 2,400 deaths in 2022
were identified as people who died with the cause of death being attributable to COVID-19.
The increase in deaths in 2021 and 2022 (to 34,932 and 38,574 deaths respectively) comes after a
drop in deaths in 2020. In 2020, there were 32,613 deaths, with deaths over winter being much
lower than in other years.
Aotearoa experienced changes in the risk of death from any cause across the course of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Taken as a whole, evidence suggests that Aotearoa has not experienced an
excess of deaths during the pandemic. Over the winter of 2020, there was a reduction in deaths
compared to what was expected based on previous years. In 2021, there was a slight reduction in
deaths. Due to border restrictions and alert level restrictions, respiratory viruses such as influenza
and the common cold were circulating at significantly lower levels than in previous years, likely
accounting for most of the reduction in expected mortality in 2020 and 2021. Over the winter of
2022, there was potentially an excess of deaths compared to what was expected based on
previous years.
You might also be interested in the Ministry of Health’s report on Inequalities in COVID-19 deaths,
which can be found here:
COVID-19 Mortality in Aotearoa New Zealand: Inequities in Risk
(health.govt.nz) For more information about cause of death - Te Whatu Ora has a
Mortality-web-tool that presents
mortality and demographic data for deaths registered in New Zealand from 1948 to 2020. The
Mortality Collection classifies the underlying cause of death for all deaths registered in Aotearoa
New Zealand. Please note that data for 2019 and 2020 is preliminary, while data for 2018 and
previous years is final.
After the close of a calendar year, there is a 12 to 18 month process to assign cause of death
codes to the majority of deaths in that year. Te Whatu Ora’s clinical coding team reviews the death
certificate and health history of the deceased, to assign cause of death codes. Te Whatu Ora
publishes preliminary mortality statistics, which do not include injury-related deaths information
which are typically more influenced by coronial cases, in December each year. Preliminary data for
2021 will be published into the web tool in December 2023.
Statistics New Zealand also publish information on all-cause mortality at the following link:
https://infoshare.stats.govt.nz/. Select ‘Populations’ and then ‘Deaths’.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]. If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Te Whatu Ora may
proactively release a copy of this response on our website. All requester data, including your name
and contact details, will be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Michael Cleary Acting OIA Manager Government Services
T
eWhatuOra.govt.nz
Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
