3 February 2026
Spencer Jones
[FYI request #32914 email]
Tēnā koe Spencer
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00105001
Thank you for your email on 27 November 2025. Parts 3, 4 and 7 were partially transferred from
the Ministry of Health to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) on the 1 December
2025, for the following:
3. Cause-of-death by ICD-10 category (2015–2024)
For each year:
3.1 The total number of deaths for each ICD-10 “Chapter” category, including but
not limited to:
•
Neoplasms (C00–D48)
•
Circulatory system diseases (I00–I99)
•
Respiratory diseases (J00–J99)
•
Endocrine/metabolic (E00–E90)
•
Nervous system (G00–G99)
•
External causes (V01–Y98)
•
Mental and behavioural disorders
•
Infectious and parasitic diseases
•
Il -defined causes / symptoms / unknown causes
3.2 Mortality rates (crude or age-standardised)
3.3 A copy of any annual or quarterly “cause of death” statistical tables held by Stats NZ
that may not be publicly displayed on the website.
4. Specific categories of public concern
For each year 2015–2025, please provide:
4.1 Total deaths classified as:
•
Sudden cardiac death
•
Acute myocardial infarction
•
Stroke / cerebrovascular accident
•
Pulmonary embolism
•
Myocarditis
•
Pericarditis
•
Aneurysm or aortic dissection
•
Il -defined or unknown causes” category (R00–R99)
4.2 Total deaths coded under the following cancer subcategories:
•
Acute leukaemia’s
•
Lymphomas
•
Metastatic cancers with <3 months between diagnosis and death (if
recorded)
•
Pancreatic cancer
•
Brain/CNS cancers
7.1 A list of all internal reports, memos, technical papers, or briefing documents produced
between 1 Jan 2020 and today that relate to:
• Excess mortality
• Cause-of-death trends
• Delay in death registration processing
• Changes in disease-specific mortality
• Data quality issues in mortality series
7.2 For the first five documents in each category, please provide the full text
Response
For clarity I wil respond to each request in turn.
3. Cause-of-death by ICD-10 category (2015–2024)
The data is available in the Mortality web tool
Mortality data web tool – Health New Zealand | Te
Whatu Ora. The webtool includes some preliminary 2022 data, 2021 provisional data, and the
2020 and earlier data that is final.
After the close of a calendar year, there is an 18-to-24-month process to assign cause of death
codes to the majority of deaths in that year. The Mortality Clinical Coding team in Health NZ
reviews the death certificate and health history of the deceased, to assign cause of death codes.
Approximately 10% of deaths are referred to the coroner each year to determine cause. Deaths
which require a coronial inquiry can take 2-3 or more years for the cause of death to be
determined. We do not make mortality data available until the majority of deaths have been
assigned a cause of death, so that the data being used is complete and accurate. The Chief
Coroner has noted delays in the time it is taking them to determine cause of death.
Health NZ does not collate annual or quarterly “cause of death” statistical tables. The data tables
we do have are not aggregated and your request would require our staff to manual y review
hundreds of individual files. As such, we refuse your request under section 18(f) of the OIA.
I have considered whether fixing a charge for the supply of the information or extending
the timeframe for response would enable Health NZ to respond. I do not consider that
either option would remove the impact that supplying the information would have on our other
operations
.
4. Specific categories of public concern
As above, after the close of a calendar year, there is an 18-to-24-month process to assign cause of
death codes to the majority of deaths in that year.
Health NZ is unable to provide the data you requested after 2020. This part of your request is
declined under section 18(g) as the information is not held and the OIA does not require an agency
to create new information to answer a request.
In good faith,
Appendix One provides a breakdown of mortality data for 2010-2020, the most
recent data available.
7.1 A list of all internal reports, memos, technical papers, or briefing documents produced
between 1 Jan 2020 and today that relate to:
• Excess mortality
• Cause-of-death trends
• Delay in death registration processing
• Changes in disease-specific mortality
• Data quality issues in mortality series
7.2 For the first five documents in each category, please provide the full text
Because mortality information spans numerous health conditions your request for this information
is very broad, and substantial manual research and collation would be required to bring together all
documents within scope of your request. As such, I refuse your request under section 18(f) of
the OIA.
I have considered whether fixing a charge for the supply of the information or extending
the timeframe for response would enable Health NZ to respond. I do not consider that
either option would remove the impact that supplying the information would have on our other
operations.
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.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Sasha Wood Head of Government Services
Health New Zealand I Te Whatu Ora
