our Māori & Pasifika our Māori & Pasifika pēpi
OPINION: We’ve spent billions of dollars fighting Covid-19, but unless we find a way to seriously address income disparity in New Zealand, then we are clearly saying that it’s okay to have 30 mostly brown babies from overcrowded homes die in their sleep each year.
The recent numbers are stark. Sixty-four infant deaths died between November 2018 and June 2020 with some indication of a recent increase in numbers, particularly among Māori infants.
Right now Māori infants are 8.5 times more likely to die of SUDI (sudden unexpected death in infancy) than non-Māori, non-Pacific infants.
The recently reviewed Ministry of Health SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy) figures, requested under OIA and reported by Radio New Zealand, confirm that families who lost infants through SUDI were usually living with financial insecurity, while the ethnicity of the infants was predominately Māori (65.6 per cent), and Pasifika (20.3 per cent).
Link to article and video: Time for a new way to save our Māori & Pasifika pēpi | Stuff.co.nz
