Deaths of Young People by Ethnicity and Deprivation
DOGE made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health
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From: DOGE
Tēnā koutou,
I am making a request under the Official Information Act 1982.
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.
Ngā mihi,
DOGE
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora,
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Have a safe and happy holiday period.
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
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From: OIA Requests
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
------------------- Original Message -------------------
From: DOGE <[FOI #33439 email]>;
Received: Tue Jan 06 2026 10:17:35 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: OIA Requests <[email address]>; OIA <[email address]>;
Subject: Official Information request - Deaths of Young People by
Ethnicity and Deprivation
Tēnā koutou,
I am making a request under the Official Information Act 1982.
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.
Ngā mihi,
DOGE
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