Maori children are more than twice as likely as Pakeha children to grow up in households experiencing significant hardship, and fare worse in most indicators.
But the new report by the University of Otago-based Child and Youth Epidemiology Service shows increasing numbers of Maori pre schoolers are getting early childhood education. There's also been a halving of school suspensions for Maori students, an increase immunisation rates, fewer young Maori smoking, and falling hospitaliszion rates for Maori children for injuries from assault, neglect or maltreatment. Dr Mavis Duncan is one of the co-authors of the study and the acting director of the Child and Youth Epidemiology Service.
