The gap in life expectancy between Maori and European New Zealanders has risen to ten years, causing concerns that national health services inadequately handle Maori health problems. Researchers explained that the disparity could be due to higher risk factors and lower socio-economic status among Maori, but that there were indications that ethnic groups received different access to and quality of health care. This has prompted some Maori to call for the transfer of resources to Maori run health services, rather than national programs.
