Major Study Reveals Significant Gaps in Māori Prison Data

A comprehensive three-year study has revealed that Māori individuals are undercounted in New Zealand prisons by approximately six percent. This significant oversight obscures the true extent of incarceration and its repercussions on whānau, or families. The kaupapa Māori research project, known as TIAKI, investigated the experiences of whānau entering and exiting the prison system, incorporating national administrative data alongside interviews conducted by researchers with personal experiences of incarceration.

Researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, have completed two critical studies within this project. The first highlighted that primary care services are failing to meet the substantial health needs of Māori who have recently been released from prison, with financial constraints serving as a major obstacle. The second study indicated that Māori were undercounted by around 405 individuals in prison data, attributed to the Corrections Department not adhering to national ethnicity recording protocols.

Lead author Associate Professor Paula King (Te Aupoūri, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) emphasized that this undercount has serious implications for resource allocation and government policy decisions. She criticized the state for not adequately monitoring the health and well-being of Māori both during incarceration and after release. “What we expect is state accountability for state harms,” she stated.

Undercounting and Its Implications

King noted that the research team was guided by kairangahau (researchers) with lived experience of incarceration to explore ethnicity data, building upon longstanding concerns regarding the undercounting of Māori in official datasets. The Corrections Department’s recording practices do not align with standards set by Stats NZ, leading to significant gaps in data.

“People just aren’t statistics—these are whānau with tamariki (children), with communities. If you’re invisibilising Māori, you can’t monitor Crown actions or inactions, or accurately assess the impact of policies,” she explained in an interview with RNZ. Māori individuals are disproportionately represented at every stage of the criminal justice system: they account for 37 percent of those proceeded against by police, 45 percent of those convicted, and more than 52 percent of the prison population, despite representing only 17.8 percent of the total population according to Stats NZ data. In women’s prisons, this proportion rises to between 61 and 63 percent, and would be even higher when considering the undercount.

King stated that the undercount has led governments to underestimate the impact of legislation on Māori, including recent changes such as the Sentencing Reinstating Three Strikes Amendment Act 2025. “The government’s got a directive to put more people in prison and for longer… the numbers are increasing,” she added.

A spokesperson for Corrections responded, explaining that ethnicity data is based on what prisoners self-report at reception, encouraging them to list multiple ethnicities in order of preference. “Corrections has proactively released data on the prison population, including breakdowns by lead offence, age, and ethnicity dating back to 2009,” the spokesperson said. They acknowledged the importance of improving data collection and reporting, stating that detailed tables reflecting multiple ethnicities will be published beginning in early 2024.

Data provided to RNZ indicates that as of November 30, 2025, Māori comprised 52.3 percent of the prison population when using primary ethnicity and 56 percent when all reported ethnicities were considered. “Both measures demonstrate Māori are overrepresented in the prison population,” the spokesperson confirmed.

Health Outcomes and Community Support

King asserted that the research reaffirms longstanding inequities within the criminal justice system, particularly in areas such as policing, charging, prosecution, and sentencing. “It’s longstanding—who the police choose to surveil, who gets charged, who is prosecuted, who gets longer sentences. These inequities are why the numbers of Māori in prison are so high,” she explained.

Individuals released from prison face a mortality rate three times higher than that of the general population, with the first month post-release being especially perilous. Early deaths have been linked to chronic conditions, suicide, alcohol poisoning, injuries, and traumatic brain injury, with mortality rates being particularly severe for wāhine Māori.

The study also found that only 76 percent of Māori released from prison were enrolled with a Primary Health Organisation (PHO), meaning a quarter lacked access to subsidised healthcare. King noted that existing rules excluding incarcerated individuals from PHO enrolment exacerbate this gap. “Services aren’t meeting the high health needs of people released from prison… Māori providers are picking up the slack but are under-resourced and under-funded,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health acknowledged the findings regarding poorer health outcomes for Māori recently released from prison. “While most of this group are engaged with a primary care provider, we recognise this level of enrolment is lower than for other population groups,” they stated. The ministry clarified that enrolment is suspended during imprisonment due to Corrections operating its own health services under a separate funding agreement.

Through interviews, whānau expressed what could facilitate their reintegration: secure housing, employment or training pathways, culturally grounded programmes, and ongoing support based on whanaungatanga (kinship). King remarked, “None of it is rocket science. People want to be well, and they want their whānau to be well… They talked about identity, culture, mentors, having someone walk alongside them, and programmes that prepare people for release rather than focusing on deficits.”

Despite the existing support provided by Māori organisations, King emphasized that these entities have been underfunded for decades. She urged that if Māori make up the highest proportion of the prison population, then kaupapa Māori providers should be contracted to assist with re-entry. “What is funded is overwhelmingly mainstream,” she pointed out.

Immediate actions the government could take include eliminating PHO exclusions, adhering to established ethnicity data protocols, and integrating health and disability services across agencies to ensure individuals do not fall through the cracks. King highlighted the current state of affairs: “At the moment everything is siloed. Someone goes in with health needs, there’s no connection to their community care, and when they come out there’s nothing.”

She further reminded that under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Ministry of Health has obligations to ensure Māori access services and be transparent in their decisions. King hopes this research will contribute to long-term systemic changes aimed at breaking cycles of harm for future generations, ultimately creating a better world for future mokopuna (grandchildren).