Child Health Inequality Case Study

The cost of child health inequalities in Aotearoa, New Zealand

In New Zealand there are visible child health inequalities. For example, Māori children are overrepresented in most health and social indicators. Māori people, in general, have poorer health outcomes compared to non-Māori such as lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality rate, and a higher burden of disease.

What are the reasons for such significant health inequalities? These can be traced back to the impacts of colonisation and the establishment of The Treaty of Waitangi, where Māori suffered significant loss of land and rights forcing them to poor lifestyle choices.

I believe efforts to reduce inequalities have not been effective because they have not been targeted.

Health inequalities between ethnic groups, Māori population as an example, suffer significantly more social and economic inequalities than the non-Māori population. Blanket approaches to such disparities will not get us favourable results. Providing an equitable approach is the better way of tackling such issues although it may be more expensive. This will result in improved health outcomes for vulnerable populations such as Māori and children. An equitable approach should be multi-sectorial involving all the related parties to tackle the structural causes of inequality such as economic, cultural and social

It has been said that healthcare spending is skewed towards non-Maori. This is most likely because the majority of the population is non-Māori and they often utilise health care services more than Māori. Māori are less likely to use healthcare services due to the inequalities they experience, the lack of representation in the workforce, and the lack of integration and respect for their values and culture. As a result, the healthcare sector needs to focus on providing health services that are culturally appropriate and catered to the needs of vulnerable