April 20, 2022
Few Māori taking assisted dying option
A critic of the End of Life Choice Act says the first quarterly statistics indicate Aotearoa is in line with international trends in places where euthanasia is allowed, but more detail is needed.
Ministry of Heath data from November 7 when assisted dying became legal in New Zealand until March 31 shows 66 people had an assisted death, 81 people did not continue the process because they were ineligible, withdrew or died of their condition, and 59 people were still being assessed or preparing.
Lawyer and disability advocate Hūhana Hickey says as expected most of the applicants, 79 percent, were Pākeha.
More women than men applied, 74 percent of applicants were aged 65 years or older, and 65 percent had a cancer diagnosis
Twelve of the 206 applicants were Māori.
Huhana Hickey says the assisted dying option is only supposed to be for people with a terminal illness and less than six months to live.