This report presents data on public hospitalisations for Māori and non-Māori living in rural areas. It supplements the main report on Māori rural health, Mātātuhi Tuawhenua: Health of Rural Māori 2012.
The main report has indicators for Māori and non-Māori people living in urban areas and rural areas. The indicators were sourced from death registrations, health and disability surveys, and socioeconomic data.
Mātātuhi Tuawhenua: Rural Hopitalisations 2007 to 2011 focuses on disparities between Māori and non-Māori living in rural areas. Many of the causes of hospital admissions presented in this report were chosen because they are potentially preventable. They are also consistent with the indicators found in Tatau Kahukura (Ministry of Health 2010).
Overall the snapshots of rural health presented in this report, and in the main report, show that Māori health must be prioritised in rural health policy, planning, and service or programme development.