Kia ora, 

The Ministry of Health closedown period is between 23 December 2025 to 7
January 2026. During this time this inbox will not be monitored. We will
respond to your email upon our return.

Have a safe and happy holiday period. 
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health  | Manatū Hauora

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Kia ora DOGE,

 

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 6 January 2026. You requested:

 

"The most recent Median Age at Death figures for Māori and non-Māori
populations held by the Ministry

Any analysis the Ministry has conducted on the causes of this gap

Any specific, measurable targets to eliminate this disparity, including
target dates for achieving parity

 

Any funding allocated specifically to closing this gap in the 2023/24 and
2024/25 financial years

 

Any advice, briefings, or reports provided to Ministers since 2020
regarding this disparity and recommended actions

 

This represents a 15-year longevity advantage - effectively more than 20%
extra life for being Pākehā.

 

If no targets or plans currently exist to achieve life expectancy parity
between Māori and non-Māori, please confirm this.

 

For each of the years 2018-2023, please provide:

 

The number of deaths of people aged 0-24, disaggregated by:

 

Māori

Pacific peoples (if held separately)

Non-Māori non-Pacific

 

Deaths in this age group by major cause category (infectious disease,
respiratory, injury, suicide/self-harm, other), disaggregated by the
ethnic groups above

 

The rate of death per 100,000 population for each ethnic group in this age
group

Any analysis conducted by the Ministry on excess mortality among Māori and
Pacific young people compared to non-Māori non-Pacific

 

Excess deaths in young people - where rates for Māori and Pacific
populations exceed those of non-Māori non-Pacific - should be considered
preventable. If other populations can avoid these deaths, so can Māori and
Pacific young people given equitable access to the conditions that protect
health.

 

If the Ministry does not routinely analyse youth mortality by ethnicity to
identify preventable excess deaths, please confirm this."

 

 

The reference number for your request is H2026077307. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was
received: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.  

 

Please be advised that due dates for requests received on 27 November 2025
onwards will take into account the summer holiday period (25 December 2025
to 15 January 2026). Please refer to this guide for an explanation of
the [2]statutory obligations under the Official Information Act 1982.

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([3][email address]).

 

 

Ngā mihi 
 
OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
 

M[4]inistry of Health information releases

 

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