CivicNZ

NZ Index · Health

Flat

Are long-term conditions and risk factors moving the right way?

Daily smoking has fallen sharply. Adult obesity is high and up. Diagnosed diabetes is rising after age-standardisation. PHO enrolment is high nationally and lower for Māori and the most deprived neighbourhoods. 76.2% of adults visited a GP in 2024/25; 14.9% did not go because of cost.

Verdict Flat is derived from the official series · Data as of 1 Aug 2026

Daily smoking (adults 15+)

6.8 %

Ministry of Health (opens in a new tab) · Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Data as of 19 Nov 2025

Other official series

Gaps — raw and official adjusted

ethnicity

Daily smoking, adults 15+

Māori (2023/24) compared with European/Other (2023/24). Period 2023/24.

Raw gap

8.6 percentage points higher

14.7 vs 6.1 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

NZHS key results are typically age-standardised in the Data Explorer. A published residual gap after NZDep + other measured factors is not in the 2023/24 key-results page.

Measured factors

  • Applied

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    NZHS adult smoking estimates are commonly age-standardised in the Annual Data Explorer.

  • Stratified

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    One-way NZDep: 13.9% in Q5 vs 2.5% in Q1. Ethnicity × NZDep cross-tab is not imported.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    Obesity is not an official adjuster of the smoking ethnicity gap.

  • Applied

    Daily smoking prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Diabetes prevalence

    Diabetes is not an official adjuster of the smoking ethnicity gap.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    No official rural-adjusted smoking ethnicity table in this release.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    Not published.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Daily smoking by ethnicity, 2023/24 (NZHS)

Group2018/192023/24
Māori30.4%14.7%
Pacific peoples21.6%12.3%
European/Other11.0%6.1%
Asian peoples7.1%3.8%

All ethnic groups declined. The gap remains.

Daily smoking by NZDep, 2023/24

QuintileRate
Q1 (least deprived)2.5%
Q5 (most deprived)13.9%

One-way. Ethnicity × NZDep is available in the NZHS Data Explorer and is not yet imported.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Nov 2024

ethnicity

Diabetes prevalence (Virtual Diabetes Register)

Māori (2024) compared with European/Other (2024). Period 2024.

Raw gap

49.0 per 1,000 higher

82.1 vs 33.1 per 1,000

Official adjusted gap

49.0 per 1,000 (already age-standardised to the WHO world standard)

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Both rates are official age-standardised VDR figures (HIR 2025). The crude (not age-standardised) ethnicity gap is not published in that table, so the explained-by-age share cannot be computed. Further adjustment for NZDep, obesity, smoking, rurality, or access is not published.

Measured factors

  • Applied

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    WHO world-standard age-standardised rates.

  • Stratified

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    One-way NZDep: 79.4 vs 30.1 per 1,000 (Q5 vs Q1). Ethnicity × NZDep is not in the extract.

  • Context only

    Obesity prevalence

    Obesity is a measured risk factor for type 2 diabetes. No official obesity-adjusted ethnicity residual is published here.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    No official smoking-adjusted diabetes ethnicity residual.

  • Applied

    Diabetes prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    District rates are published (Counties Manukau 80.0 per 1,000) but not a rurality-adjusted ethnicity gap.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    VDR uses linked administrative data; GP enrolment is not published as an adjuster.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Age-standardised diabetes prevalence per 1,000, 2014 and 2024

Group20142024
Māori65.882.1
Pacific peoples110.3136.2
Indian96.2102.7
European/Other28.133.1

Virtual Diabetes Register. European/Other here includes European and non-Indian Asian peoples.

Diabetes by NZDep, 2024 (age-standardised)

QuintilePer 1,000
Q1 (least deprived)30.1
Q5 (most deprived)79.4

One-way. Not ethnicity × NZDep.

Selected districts, 2024 (age-standardised)

DistrictPer 1,000
Counties Manukau80.0
Auckland53.9
Tairāwhiti52.5

Geographic differences mix ethnicity, age, and deprivation. Not a rurality adjustment.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 1 Aug 2026

deprivation

Daily smoking, adults 15+

NZDep Q5, most deprived (2023/24) compared with NZDep Q1, least deprived (2023/24). Period 2023/24.

Raw gap

11.4 percentage points higher

13.9 vs 2.5 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

NZHS key results publish one-way NZDep rates. A published residual after ethnicity or other measured factors is not on the 2023/24 key-results page. Ethnicity × NZDep is in the NZHS Data Explorer and is not yet imported.

Measured factors

  • Applied

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    NZHS adult smoking estimates are commonly age-standardised in the Annual Data Explorer.

  • Applied

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    This is the deprivation comparison.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    Obesity is not an official adjuster of the smoking deprivation gap.

  • Applied

    Daily smoking prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Diabetes prevalence

    Diabetes is not an official adjuster of the smoking deprivation gap.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    No official rural-adjusted smoking deprivation table in this release.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    Not published.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Daily smoking by NZDep, 2023/24

QuintileRate
Q1 (least deprived)2.5%
Q5 (most deprived)13.9%

One-way. Ethnicity × NZDep is available in the NZHS Data Explorer and is not yet imported.

Daily smoking by ethnicity, 2023/24 (one-way, not ethnicity × NZDep)

Group2018/192023/24
Māori30.4%14.7%
Pacific peoples21.6%12.3%
European/Other11.0%6.1%
Asian peoples7.1%3.8%

Shown because the official ethnicity × NZDep cross-tab is not imported.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Nov 2024

deprivation

Diabetes prevalence (Virtual Diabetes Register)

NZDep Q5, most deprived (2024) compared with NZDep Q1, least deprived (2024). Period 2024.

Raw gap

49.3 per 1,000 higher

79.4 vs 30.1 per 1,000

Official adjusted gap

49.3 per 1,000 (already age-standardised to the WHO world standard)

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Both rates are official age-standardised VDR figures (HIR 2025). The crude (not age-standardised) deprivation gap is not published in that table, so the explained-by-age share cannot be computed. Further adjustment for ethnicity, obesity, smoking, rurality, or access is not published.

Measured factors

  • Applied

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    WHO world-standard age-standardised rates.

  • Applied

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    This is the deprivation comparison.

  • Context only

    Obesity prevalence

    Obesity is a measured risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Adult obesity is 47.8% in NZDep Q5. No official obesity-adjusted deprivation residual is published here.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    No official smoking-adjusted diabetes deprivation residual.

  • Applied

    Diabetes prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    No official rurality-adjusted deprivation residual.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    VDR uses linked administrative data; GP enrolment is not published as an adjuster.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Diabetes by NZDep, 2024 (age-standardised)

QuintilePer 1,000
Q1 (least deprived)30.1
Q5 (most deprived)79.4

One-way. Ethnicity × NZDep is not in the extract.

Age-standardised diabetes prevalence per 1,000 by ethnicity, 2024 (one-way)

Group20142024
Māori65.882.1
Pacific peoples110.3136.2
Indian96.2102.7
European/Other28.133.1

Shown because ethnicity × NZDep is not imported. Do not treat this as an adjusted residual.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 1 Aug 2026

region

Diabetes prevalence (Virtual Diabetes Register)

Counties Manukau district (2024) compared with Auckland district (2024). Period 2024.

Raw gap

26.1 per 1,000 higher

80 vs 53.9 per 1,000

Official adjusted gap

26.1 per 1,000 (already age-standardised to the WHO world standard)

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Both rates are official age-standardised VDR district figures (HIR 2025). The crude district gap is not published, so the explained-by-age share cannot be computed. HIR does not publish a district residual after ethnicity, NZDep, obesity, smoking, rurality, GP enrolment, or travel time. Geographic differences mix those factors.

Measured factors

  • Applied

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    WHO world-standard age-standardised rates.

  • Context only

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    District populations differ in NZDep mix. No official NZDep-standardised district residual is in this extract.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    No official obesity-adjusted district residual.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    No official smoking-adjusted district residual.

  • Applied

    Diabetes prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Context only

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    Tairāwhiti (52.5 per 1,000) is more rural than Auckland and is not higher on this measure. That is not a rurality adjustment.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    Not published as a district adjuster.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Selected districts, 2024 (age-standardised diabetes per 1,000)

DistrictPer 1,000
Counties Manukau80.0
Auckland53.9
Tairāwhiti52.5

Official geography is district. A full 20-district table was not in this extract.

National age-standardised diabetes by ethnicity, 2024 (not a district adjustment)

GroupPer 1,000
Pacific peoples136.2
Indian102.7
Māori82.1
European/Other33.1

District rates mix ethnicity, age, and deprivation. This table is context, not an adjusted residual.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 1 Aug 2026

ethnicity

Daily smoking, adults 15+

Māori (2024/25) compared with European/Other (2024/25). Period 2024/25.

Raw gap

9.3 percentage points higher

15 vs 5.7 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

NZHS 2024/25 key results publish one-way ethnicity rates. The Annual Data Explorer can display ethnicity × NZDep, but that file is a session download, not a stable URL. CivicNZ does not compute an explained share from one-way tables.

Measured factors

  • Stratified

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    Key results also publish sex (men 8.3%, women 5.3%). An official age-standardised ethnicity residual is not on the key-results page.

  • Stratified

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    One-way NZDep: 12.9% in Q5 vs 2.4% in Q1. Ethnicity × NZDep cells are not in this compile.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    Not an official adjuster of the smoking ethnicity gap.

  • Applied

    Daily smoking prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Diabetes prevalence

    Not an official adjuster of the smoking ethnicity gap.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    Not published.

  • Context only

    GP enrolment

    PHO enrolment is lower for Māori (85.6%) than Other (101.2%) in July 2026. That is not an official smoking adjustment.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    No official GP-visit-adjusted smoking residual.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Daily smoking by ethnicity, 2024/25 (NZHS key results)

GroupRate
Māori15.0%
Pacific peoples10.3%
European/Other5.7%
Asian peoples4.5%

Official one-way table. Ethnicity × NZDep is not imported.

Daily smoking by NZDep, 2024/25

QuintileRate
Q1 (least deprived)2.4%
Q5 (most deprived)12.9%

One-way. Not an ethnicity-adjusted residual.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Nov 2025

deprivation

Adult obesity

NZDep Q5, most deprived (2024/25) compared with NZDep Q1, least deprived (2024/25). Period 2024/25.

Raw gap

19.2 percentage points higher

46.8 vs 27.6 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

NZHS 2024/25 key results publish one-way NZDep obesity rates. An official ethnicity- or age-adjusted residual of this deprivation gap is not on that page.

Measured factors

  • Not published

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    The key-results page does not state whether these NZDep obesity rates are age-standardised.

  • Applied

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    This is the deprivation comparison.

  • Applied

    Obesity prevalence

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    Not an official adjuster of the obesity deprivation gap.

  • Context only

    Diabetes prevalence

    Obesity is a measured risk factor for type 2 diabetes. That does not adjust this table.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    Not published.

  • Not published

    GP enrolment

    Not published as an obesity adjuster.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Not published.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

Adult obesity by NZDep, 2024/25

QuintileRate
Q1 (least deprived)27.6%
Q5 (most deprived)46.8%
All adults34.2%

Ethnicity × NZDep obesity cells are not in this compile.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Nov 2025

ethnicity

PHO / GP enrolment coverage

Māori (July 2026) compared with Other (July 2026). Period Q3 2026.

Raw gap

15.6 percentage points lower

85.6 vs 101.2 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Health NZ publishes enrolment by ethnicity, age, gender, deprivation, and district in separate sheets. There is no official ethnicity residual after NZDep or age. Coverage can exceed 100% because enrolment and population come from different collections.

Measured factors

  • Stratified

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    Age-specific enrolment is published by district, not as an ethnicity residual.

  • Stratified

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    One-way NZDep 9–10 coverage is 88.0% vs 103.4% in NZDep 1–2. Not ethnicity × NZDep.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    Not an adjuster of enrolment.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    Not an adjuster of enrolment.

  • Not published

    Diabetes prevalence

    Not an adjuster of enrolment.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    District sheets exist; a rurality-adjusted ethnicity residual does not.

  • Applied

    GP enrolment

    This is the outcome series.

  • Not published

    GP visits

    Visit counts are not in the enrolment extract.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    Not published.

PHO enrolment coverage, July 2026 (national)

GroupCoverage
Māori85.6%
Pacific98.5%
Asian88.0%
Other101.2%
Total95.5%

Official Access to primary care XLSX, National row.

PHO enrolment by NZDep, July 2026

NZDepCoverage
1–2 (least)103.4%
3–496.2%
5–694.0%
7–892.4%
9–10 (most)88.0%

One-way. Coverage can exceed 100%.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 1 Jul 2026

ethnicity

Did not visit a GP due to cost, adults

Pacific adults (2024/25) compared with Asian adults (2024/25). Period 2024/25.

Raw gap

12.3 percentage points higher

25.1 vs 12.8 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

NZHS 2024/25 key results publish one-way ethnicity rates for this barrier. An official age- or NZDep-adjusted residual is not on that page. Enrolment (PHO) is a different measure from a visit or a cost barrier.

Measured factors

  • Not published

    Age structure (age-standardised rates)

    The key-results page does not state an age-standardised ethnicity residual for this barrier.

  • Not published

    Neighbourhood deprivation (NZDep)

    Ethnicity × NZDep for this barrier is not imported.

  • Not published

    Obesity prevalence

    No official adjusted or stratified table for this outcome is in this release.

  • Not published

    Daily smoking prevalence

    No official adjusted or stratified table for this outcome is in this release.

  • Not published

    Diabetes prevalence

    No official adjusted or stratified table for this outcome is in this release.

  • Not published

    Rurality (Geographic Classification for Health)

    No official adjusted or stratified table for this outcome is in this release.

  • Context only

    GP enrolment

    PHO enrolment is 98.5% for Pacific and 88.0% for Asian (July 2026). Enrolment is not a visit and is not this barrier.

  • Applied

    GP visits

    This is an official GP-access outcome from NZHS.

  • Not published

    Travel time to care

    A travel-time series is not in the key results.

Did not visit a GP due to cost, 2024/25 (NZHS key results)

GroupShare
Pacific peoples25.1%
Māori18.7%
European/Other14.5%
Asian peoples12.8%
All adults14.9%

76.2% of adults did visit a GP. Time-to-appointment was the most common reported barrier (25.5%).

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Nov 2025

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CivicNZ · Are we getting healthier?

Flat

Are long-term conditions and risk factors moving the right way?

Daily smoking has fallen sharply. Adult obesity is high and up. Diagnosed diabetes is rising after age-standardisation. PHO enrolment is high nationally and lower for Māori and the most deprived neighbourhoods. 76.2% of adults visited a GP in 2024/25; 14.9% did not go because of cost.

civicnz.org/health · Official sources · Not a causal claim

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