Statistics on Māori mental health and wellbeing

The Māori population is younger and growing at a faster rate than the general population.  

According to Statistics New Zealand, at 30 June 2024 New Zealand’s estimated Māori ethnic population was 914,400 (17.1 percent of the national population).  

In the year to June 2024 the Māori population grew by 10,800 (1.2 percent compared with 1.7 percent for the national population). 

The median ages for Māori males and females were 26 and 28.2 years respectively, compared with national median ages of 37.2 and 39 years respectively, reflecting a younger Māori population.³ 

And the percentage of tamariki who are Māori is projected to increase from 27 percent in 2018 to 33 percent (about 1 in 3 children) by 2043.⁴ 

The 2018 Te Kupenga report looked at the following factors important to Māori wellbeing: 

• Caring for the environment 
• Connection to, and participation in, te ao Māori (the Māori world) 
• Learning and use of te reo Māori 
• Whānau relationships 
• Physical and mental wellbeing 
• Standard of living 
• Trust and participation in society 

It shows, for example, that for many Māori, a strong cultural identity and connecting to where they come from, such as their marae tipuna and the surrounding environment, is central to their wellbeing.  Seven out of 10 Māori adults (aged 15 years and over) (69 percent) said the health of the natural environment was very important. People aged 45 years and over were more likely to rate this as very important than other age groups.⁵

25 percent of Māori females and 19 percent of males said that it was very important for them to be involved in things to do with Māori culture, with 9 out of 10 (89 percent) reporting it as important.⁶

It also shows that nearly three-quarters of Māori adults (74 percent) rated the wellbeing of their whānau highly (at 7 or above on a scale from 0 to 10). Over a third (34 percent) said their whānau were doing better than they were 12 months ago, with less than 1 in 10 (9.5 percent) saying their whānau were doing worse.⁷

The New Zealand Health Survey 2023-2024 reports that the rates of high or very high psychological distress among Māori was 19.5 percent, which is an estimated of 125,000 Māori adults. The rates for the total population was at 13 percent. Māori adults are 1.5 times as likely than non-Māori to experience symptoms of psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression or somatic symptoms (somatic symptoms refer to physical symptoms that are experienced as a result of underlying psychological distress).⁸  

Reasons for these challenges include: 

• Māori continue to experience significant inequities in the mental health and addiction system.⁹
• Māori have experienced consistently poorer health than other ethnic groups since the 19th century and, importantly,  Māori experience poorer health even when factors such as income, occupation, education, and neighbourhood are accounted for.¹⁰
• Poor mental health is a consequence of many of the same drivers of health inequities for Māori – racism, colonisation, intergenerational trauma, poverty and cultural disconnection.¹¹
• Māori access specialist services at high rates, but often it is not early enough for the best outcome.
• Specialist services and workforce are sometimes not culturally, physically, spiritually or relationally safe for Māori and whānau needs. Investment in kaupapa Māori services is gradually increasing, but more is needed.
• There is a lack of te ao Māori data on both the prevalence and treatment of mental distress and substance use harm.
• Māori experience practices in care like coercion and solitary confinement (seclusion) more than non-Māori.¹²

The Ministry of Health’s Tatau Kahukura: Māori health chart book 2024 presents figures on social determinants (neighbourhood deprivation, racial discrimination and socioeconomic indicators) and other risk and protective factors (tobacco smoking, alcohol use, nutrition, body size and physical activity). A few of the findings¹³: 

• Deprivation: In 2018, non-Māori were more advantaged than Māori across all socioeconomic indicators presented. 
• Racial discrimination: Overall, Māori adults were almost twice as likely as non-Māori adults to have experienced any type of racial discrimination. 
• Alcohol: Māori adults (who consumed alcohol) were less likely than non-Māori adults (who consumed alcohol) to have drunk alcohol 4 or more times a week in the past year, but twice as likely as non‑Māori to have consumed a large amount of alcohol at least weekly. 
• Body size: Māori adults were less likely than non-Māori adults to be overweight. However, Māori adults were more than 1.5 times as likely to be obese as non-Māori adults. 

The health sector is gradually changing in ways that will address these inequities. He Ara Awhina framework, and its use in system and service development promotes a dual approach, and places Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a foundational position. 

The suicide rate is important in helping us to understand how suicide impacts diverse populations. For information on rates and numbers, visit Statistics on suicide in New Zealand.  

Suicide rates for Māori are currently higher than for non-Māori.¹⁴ In the year ending 30 June 2023, 566 people died by suspected suicide in Aotearoa New Zealand, a rate of 10.4 per 100,000. Suicide among Māori was disproportionately higher at 16.3 per 100,000 Māori.¹⁵ 

Tāne Māori (males) are most affected, with a rate of suspected suicide of 24.8 per 100,000 Māori males in the year to June 2023. This is about 2 times that of non-Māori males at 12.7 per 100,000. 

The wāhine Māori (female) rate of suspected suicide is 8.1 per 100,000 for the year to June 2023, about 1.5 times that of non-Māori females at 5.5 per 100,000.¹⁶ 

A 2023 monitoring report showed that Māori experience significant inequities in the health system, and for example, more coercive practices. The report also advocates for services to urgently address these inequities, and to invest in more kaupapa Māori services.¹⁷

In 2023/24 Māori were more likely than non-Māori to access mental health and addiction services, with 5,863 clients accessing services for every 100,000 Māori population. There was a 16 percent decrease in the rate of Māori clients accessing services provided by districts (former DHBs) – down from 4,983 per 100,000 population in 2012/13 to 4187 in 2023/24.¹⁸

There are kaupapa Māori services available through the Access and Choice programme. In 2024, 47,737 people accessed the kaupapa Māori, Pacific, and youth services – only 62 percent of the 77,000 people expected to access per year by 2024.¹⁹

The 2018 Te Kupenga report from Statistics New Zealand (a survey of 8,500 adults (15 years and over) of Māori ethnicity and/or descent) found Māori adults generally felt satisfied with, and in control of, their lives. On a scale from 0 to 10, where 10 is the highest, they reported a mean overall life satisfaction rating of 7.8, and a mean rating of 7.9 for their sense of control over life events.²⁰

Less than a quarter of Māori adults (23 percent) experienced poor mental wellbeing, as measured by the World Health Organization’s WHO-5 Well-being Index. More women (28 percent) than men (18 percent) were identified as having poor mental wellbeing using this measure.²¹ 

The 2023-2024 New Zealand Health Survey shows high life satisfaction (reported score higher than 7) among Māori was at 76.6 percent, lower than the total population at 83 percent.²²

Other data from Statistics New Zealand show Māori rated their family wellbeing marginally lower than other ethnicities (at 7.4 out of 10, compared to 7.8 for European and Pacific, and 8.2 for Asian).²³ The average family wellbeing rating for the total New Zealand population was unchanged from 2016 at 7.8 out of 10. For comparison, the average rating for Pacific people’s family wellbeing decreased from 8.1 to 7.8 out of 10 between 2016 and 2018.²⁴