Health Experiences of Maori and Non-Maori People

Running head: HEALTHCARE
HEALTH EXPERIENCES OF MAORI AND NON-MAORI PEOPLE
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HEALTHCARE1
The Maori community consists of the indigenous Polynesian people living in New
Zealand. This group has been found to originate with settlers belonging to eastern Polynesia
who colonized New Zealand between 1320 and 1350. In various research studies, it has been
found that the Maori people have been found to lag behind in areas such as income and health
(Al-Busaidi et al., 2018). This is because of their low level of education and lack of chance to
achieve higher education for them. Access to the primary health services for all the Maori
groups needs to be made cost-effective in order to save their life from various disorders to
which Maori people have been dying at a high rate from a long time. Marked inequity and
persistency have been observed in Maori people in all health levels. According to the
Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, Non-Maori life expectancies have been found
to be approximately seven years more than the Maori community (Brewer & Andrews,
2016). This paper will first discuss the health experiences of Maori people in a reflective
format and then it will discuss the disparities between the Maori and Non-Maori people living
in New Zealand.
After going through various pieces of literature it has been found that Maori leaders
and the policymakers of their government have struggled to deal with issues such as poverty
and health problems (Francis, Carryer & Cram, 2019). Maori people have been found to
suffer from higher levels of alcohol intake and drug abuse which leads to obesity and
smoking habits also. According to various literature pieces, it has been also found that less
frequent use of healthcare services is the main reason for diagnosis and treatment
interventions which has led to a higher level of mortality and morbidity (Gifford et al., 2017).
Both the higher levels have been observed in many manageable conditions including diabetes
and cervical cancer. This rate was found to be far higher than the non-Maori people of New
Zealand. This condition has mainly been found to occur because of a higher level of
education including secondary and tertiary education is attended by the Non-Maori people of

HEALTHCARE2
New Zealand. Non-Maori people have also been found to experience lower rates of
preventable diseases which cause a serious health issue among the Maori population of New
Zealand. Higher rates of morbidity and disabilities have been observed in the Maori people.
Thus, it can be stated that Maori people have lower levels of health experiences than the Non-
Maori people in New Zealand.
Several literature pieces did not state anything wrong because the lower levels of life
qualities have been found to be evidently associated with the Maori people (Gurney et al.,
2020). One of the most striking evidence is that the Maori people have cited cost as the most
significant barrier in accessing primary care. Both primary and secondary healthcare services
have been found to be unused by Maori patients. According to many authors, this factor can
occur due to two main problems or lags associated with the Maori community. The first lag is
their education level. Most of the Maori people do not know anything about the advantages of
a healthy life. This is because of their traditional and cultural values which lead to the intake
of various unhealthy foods which makes them ill and sick very often (McGruer et al., 2019).
Majority of the research papers have been found to measure and document the Maori health
status in New Zealand which confirms the fact that the Maori population experiences several
health disparities in the health outcomes which includes several factors. These factors include
health determinants and health system responsiveness among the Maori population.
On analyzing the current situation in Maori, it can be stated that they are in need of a
better healthcare system in their region which will support the people in a cost-effective way.
The analysis of the health condition of Maori disparities I, II, III and IV have been reported in
Maori Heath Chart Book. Significantly higher mortality and morbidity rates have been found
to be associated with the Maori population (Wikaire et al., 2019). Most of the cases of
hospital admission include asthma, assault, murder attempt and unintentional injury which is
associated with a higher prevalence of the meningococcal disorder. Education, housing,