24 February 2026
DOGE
[FYI request #33439 email] Tēnā koe DOGE
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00200267 Thank you for your email received on 4 February 2026, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu
Ora (Health NZ) for the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA). Your email was
transferred from Manatū Hauora – Ministry of Health (the Ministry) as the matters you have raised
fall more closely to the functions of our agency.
1.
The most recent Median Age at Death figures for Māori and non-Māori populations
held by the Ministry
2. Any analysis the Ministry has conducted on the causes of this gap
3.
Any specific, measurable targets to eliminate this disparity, including target dates for
achieving parity
4.
Any funding allocated specifically to closing this gap in the 2023/24 and 2024/25
financial years
5.
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."
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 the Ministry
This has been answered in our response to you of 13 February 2026, reference: HNZ00106752.
2. Any analysis the Ministry has conducted on the causes of this gap
Please refer to our answer to parts 1, 2 and 3 of our response, reference: HNZ00106752.
3. Any specific, measurable targets to eliminate this disparity, including target dates for
achieving parity
4. Any funding allocated specifically to closing this gap in the 2023/24 and 2024/25
financial years
5. 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.
Please refer to our answer to parts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of our response, reference: HNZ00106752.
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
This data is published in the Mortality data webtool. You can find this information on the Health NZ
website at
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/data-and-
statistics/mortality/data-web-tool. Data for 2023 is not yet included in the web tool, as it is not
complete enough to release.
After the close of a calendar year, there is a 12-18 month process to assign cause of death codes
to the majority of deaths in that year. The Health NZ clinical coding team 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 cause of death to be determined. We do not make
mortality data available publicly until the majority of deaths have been assigned a cause of death,
so that the data we release is complete and accurate. The Chief Coroner has noted delays in the
time it is taking them to determine cause of death.
•
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 information you have requested is not held by Health NZ’s National Collections team. Please
note that the OIA does not require an agency to form an opinion or create new information to
answer a request. This part of your request is therefore refused under section 18(g) of the OIA.
Information on the number of people who have died in New Zealand is available online from Stats
NZ. You can find the link at
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/births-and-deaths-year-
ended-september-2025/. Stats NZ also publish mortality statistics online by quarter and year. You can find this data at
https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/stats-infoshare/. Click on the link ‘Use Infoshare’, then select
‘Populations’, and then ‘Deaths - VSD’.
You may be interested to know that the Ministry has published responses to OIA requests on its
website that discuss excess mortality over the years 2020 to 2022. These responses can be found
via the following links:
•
https://www.health.govt.nz/information-releases/information-regarding-excessal -cause-
mortality - h2023020120_response.pdf
•
https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2023-06/h2023020095-response-letter.pdf
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
Danielle Coe Manager (OIA) Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
