We are living longer

It seems that we now have a longer life expectancy – 82.2 for women and 78 for men, up 1 and 1.7 years

However there is still a substantial difference for Maori – with Maori newborns having life expectancy of 75.1 and 70.4 years.

This is a key metric for New Zealand, for any country or region, and for the world. Life expectancy is a function of overall wealth, income distribution, health care quality, environment quality and health and safety behaviour. To see the number rising is excellent, particulalry as it could be falling in the USA. They are at least slipping back down the rankings, a sign of a troubled health care system & rising obesity.

To see the gap between Maori and non-Maori (8.2 years now) is to see the difference in economic opportunities, health care, infant mortality and everything else. As a society we should continue commit to increasing lie expectancy and reducing the gap between our constituent groups.

Speaking of rankings – the latest figures see NZ rise from 23rd in the UN/ 32nd place in the list of Wikipedia entities to 11th place in the UN and 16th place in the Wikipedia list – Our overall average of 80.1 (assuming 50/50 m/f) would put us just above Italy and below Canada and the Cayman Islands. Of course every other country should also move upwards, so time will tell where we really lie.

Top of the Wikipedia list is Andorra with 83.52 and the only place in the world where male life expectancy is over 80.