Canterbury District Health Board wants to know why Maori are being admitted to its hospitals for drug and alcohol related problems at twice the national average.
Waatea News reports the board's first overview of Maori health found there were 108 Maori admissions per 100,000 people - compared with the national average of 45 Maori per 100,000.
While the total number of people presenting is relatively small, DHB Maori and Pacific health executive director Hector Matthews says it can affect future provision of services.
He says the rate of Maori admissions for problems related to opiates such as heroin and morphine was particularly high - at 31 per 100,000 - more than ten times the national rate.
