Māori life expectancy was shown to be seven years shorter and Pacific people lived six years less than those of other ethnicities according to research in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal.
Death registrations and population data for New Zealand between 2013-15 was used to calculate life expectancy and find out what causes untimely deaths in Māori and Pacific populations.
Around half of Maori and Pacific people died early due to preventable causes such as heart disease, diabetes, lung and uterine cancer, as well as road crashes and suicide, compared with less than a quarter of early deaths in other ethnicities.
Jenny Meyer spoke to senior lecturer at AUT's Taupua Waiora Centre for Maori Health Research, Dr Heather Came, and asked for her reaction to the news of shorter lives for Maori and Pacific people in New Zealand.
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