Impact for Whānau Māori of Living With a Rare Disorder in Aotearoa New Zealand

The proportion of people surveyed in our 2023 Voice of Rare Disorders survey that included Māori as an ethnic group was 13.3%, much closer to National Census estimates than previous 2019 and 2021 surveys. This reflects improved engagement with Māori in recent years. 

We commissioned a separate white paper based on the responses from Māori to determine whether Māori affected by rare disorders face added inequities to accessing care and treatment.

The results were very similar to the wider population, indicating that the experiences of whānau Māori living with a rare disorder were not notably different from others living with a rare disorder.

We’ve taken this to indicate that Māori and people with rare disorders are vulnerable population groups who are similarly marginalised from health and other support systems.

Read the Impact for Whānau Māori of Living With a Rare Disorder in Aotearoa New Zealand here.