Māori Health, Wellbeing, and Disability in Aotearoa New Zealand: A National Survey

Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, experience wide-ranging inequities compared with non-Māori. This survey aimed to explore the holistic health, wellbeing, and disability experiences of New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori population from a Māori worldview, addressing gaps in culturally relevant data often overlooked by standard health surveys. A robust cross-sectional survey was conducted with 7359 participants of Māori descent using Kaupapa Māori Research principles. Data were analysed using the Te Pae Māhutonga framework, a Māori health promotion model. Participants demonstrated strong cultural identity, with 32.3% understanding spoken Māori fairly well and 97.3% defining a broad non-nuclear concept of whānau (family). While over half reported high life satisfaction, 58.4% experienced discrimination, mainly based on ethnicity and appearance. Access to healthcare revealed that 32.6% were unable to contact a general practitioner due to cost. Socioeconomic challenges were prevalent; nearly a quarter borrowed from family or friends to meet daily living costs, and over a third economized on fresh produce to save money. This study reveals significant gaps in mainstream health data and demonstrates that a culturally aligned, methodological approach is feasible and crucial for informing policies that address the needs and rights of Māori, as guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These results could inform global, indigenous research addressing culturally relevant health, wellbeing and disability inequities.