A big disparity is reported between Maori and non-Maori children receiving free vaccinations for polio and tetanus.
The New Zealand Medical Journal has published a new study examining the vaccination rate of 8500 children aged 11, in South Auckland, who received free vaccinations in schools in 2005.
Co-author Belinda Loring says only 48% of Maori children received the vaccination, compared to 56% for non-Maori.
She says about a third of Maori children did not return their vaccination consent form, which was the main reason for the result.
