13 February 2026
DOGE
[FYI request #33438 email]
Tēnā koe DOGE
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00106752
Thank you for your email on 6 January 2026, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the
following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
Last time I checked (2020 data on the Stats NZ website) the Median Age at Death for non-
Māori was approximately 82 years, compared to approximately 67 years for Māori.
This represents a 15-year longevity advantage - effectively more than 20% extra life for
being Pākehā.
Please provide:
1. The most recent Median Age at Death figures for Māori and non-Māori populations held
by Te Whatu Ora
2. Any internal targets, performance measures, or accountability mechanisms currently in
place to reduce this gap
3. Any specific, funded programmes currently underway with the explicit goal of closing
this disparity
4. Any reporting to the Board or Ministers since 2022 on progress toward life expectancy
parity
5. The target date, if any, for achieving parity in life expectancy between Māori and non-
Māori
6. If no such targets, accountability mechanisms, or funded programmes exist, please
confirm this.
Response
For the sake of clarity, I wil address each question in turn.
1. The most recent Median Age at Death figures for Māori and non-Māori populations held
by Te Whatu Ora
Health NZ does not hold official “median age at death” figures, internal numeric targets,
accountability mechanisms, performance measures or funded programmes specifically focused on
reducing dif erences in median age at death between Māori and non‑Māori populations.
Therefore, these parts of your request are refused under section 18(g) of the OIA as the
information requested is not held.
Median age at death is a descriptive statistic based on the age distribution of deaths and is not
derived from age-specific mortality rates. As a result, it is highly sensitive to the underlying
population age structure. In populations that are younger overall, such as Māori, the median age at
death wil tend to be lower even if age-specific mortality risks are similar to those of other
populations, while in older populations it wil appear higher. These dif erences primarily reflect
demographic composition rather than underlying mortality risk, which limits the usefulness of
median age at death for comparing longevity across populations or over time.
Instead, Health New Zealand uses life expectancy as the primary summary measure of population
longevity. Life expectancy is calculated from a life table based on age-specific mortality rates and
represents the expected number of years a person would live if current mortality conditions were to
persist. Because it applies mortality rates to a synthetic cohort, life expectancy standardises for
age and is independent of the population age distribution. This makes it a more appropriate and
comparable measure for assessing overall mortality levels and changes in longevity across
population groups and time periods.
Health New Zealand routinely monitors dif erences in life expectancy between population groups,
as well as the major causes of death contributing to these dif erences. This provides a more robust
basis for understanding patterns of premature mortality and for informing analysis of health
inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our latest report on life expectancy can be found at the link below:
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Mortality/Life-Expectancy-in-Aotearoa-NZ-An-
analysis-of-socioeconomic-geographic-sex-and-ethnic-variation-from-2001-2022-Technical-
report.pdf
You may also be interested in the Iwi-Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) Health Profiles which provide
the most up to date snapshot of Māori health data specific to each of the 15 IMPBs. This information
can be found at the link below:
https:/ www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/publications/iwi-maori-partnership-board-health-profiles-volumes-
1-and-2
2. Any internal targets, performance measures, or accountability mechanisms currently in
place to reduce this gap
3. Any specific, funded programmes currently underway with the explicit goal of closing
this disparity
Under the
Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, Health New Zealand is required to work toward
achieving equity in health outcomes, including life expectancy which is a key outcome in the
Government Position Statement (GPS). Health New Zealand has accountability mechanisms that
support the improvement of equity in health outcomes, including quarterly performance reporting
and equity indicators embedded within the New Zealand Health Plan, as follows:
• Quarterly performance reporting to the Board and Ministers
Corporate publications - Health
New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
• Equity indicators embedded in the
New Zealand Health Plan | Te Pae Waenga – Health
New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Please note that these mechanisms are not framed around achieving life‑expectancy parity as a
defined target or outcome.
Health New Zealand funds a range of services intended to improve health outcomes for Māori and
reduce health inequities. These services address prevention, access to care, and conditions that
contribute to dif erences in mortality and life expectancy but are not focused around achieving a
single population level parity measure.
7. Any reporting to the Board or Ministers since 2022 on progress toward life expectancy
parity
8. The target date, if any, for achieving parity in life expectancy between Māori and non-
Māori
9. If no such targets, accountability mechanisms, or funded programmes exist, please
confirm this.
We have interpreted your request for reporting to Board or Ministers since 2022 as referring to
standalone reporting that is specifically focused on “life expectancy parity”. As a result, Health New
Zealand has not identified any such reporting.
We can confirm Health New Zealand does not have a specific target date or standalone
accountability mechanisms, or funded programmes that are explicitly framed around achieving life
expectancy parity between Māori and non‑Māori populations
Therefore, these parts of your request are refused under section 18(g) of the OIA as the
information you have requested is not held.
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, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIAs) – Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
