The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study
Abstract Background Indigenous Māori are imprisoned on a mass scale by the nation-state currently known as New Zealand, driven by racialised inequities that occur across the criminal legal system and a rapidly expanding carceral state. Lack of reliable data limits the ability to monitor and evaluate...
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BMC
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00355-3 |
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| author | Paula Toko King Frederieke Sanne Petrović-van der Deen Melissa McLeod Ricci Harris Cheryl Davies Donna Cormack Tristram Ingham Bernadette Jones Bridget Robson Natalie Paki Paki Gabrielle Baker Belinda Tuari-Toma Jeannine Stairmand Marama Cole Tīria Pehi Julia Carr Christopher Kemp Marshall H. Chin Ruth Cunningham |
| author_facet | Paula Toko King Frederieke Sanne Petrović-van der Deen Melissa McLeod Ricci Harris Cheryl Davies Donna Cormack Tristram Ingham Bernadette Jones Bridget Robson Natalie Paki Paki Gabrielle Baker Belinda Tuari-Toma Jeannine Stairmand Marama Cole Tīria Pehi Julia Carr Christopher Kemp Marshall H. Chin Ruth Cunningham |
| author_sort | Paula Toko King |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Indigenous Māori are imprisoned on a mass scale by the nation-state currently known as New Zealand, driven by racialised inequities that occur across the criminal legal system and a rapidly expanding carceral state. Lack of reliable data limits the ability to monitor and evaluate the health and disability impacts of imprisonment on Māori. We examined ethnicity data quality; specifically, potential miscounting of Māori in prison. All individuals who experienced at least one night of imprisonment between 2018 and 2021 were selected from the Department of Corrections (Corrections) data in the Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). We compared counts and proportions of Māori using two sources of ethnicity information; Corrections and IDI’s core data. Within this cohort, we compared self-identified ethnicity from the 2018 Census with ethnicity recorded in Corrections data available in the IDI (via individual linkage), to assess levels of match between datasets and calculate net undercount. Results Lesser numbers of Māori were recorded in the Corrections data compared to the IDI’s core data (52% versus 57% of the study cohort), a pattern observed across all age and gender groups, and amongst those sentenced and on remand. For the linked analysis, only one third (34%) of the cohort linked to the IDI central spine had self-identified ethnicity from the 2018 Census. Of this group, 46% self-identified as Māori ethnicity. When this information was compared to ethnicity information reported by Corrections for the same individuals, there was a 12% undercount of Māori in Corrections data. The net undercount of Māori was 6%, equating to at least an extra 405 Māori imprisoned than what is publicly reported by government. Conclusions Reliable data inclusive of high-quality ethnicity data are critical for understanding and monitoring Māori health in terms of resource allocation, policy decisions, and performance of health and disability services for Māori imprisoned in NZ. Systemic undercounting of Māori in prisons is a breach of Indigenous rights to monitor and evaluate impacts of government actions and inactions for Māori. We do not accept the inevitability of prisons but whilst prisons exist, and until there are no prisons left on Māori whenua (lands), an all-of-government approach to prioritisation of high-quality ethnicity data across the criminal legal system that meets obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international human rights instruments is urgently required. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6f76bb588b24797ae5594958ff4f014 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2194-7899 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health & Justice |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6f76bb588b24797ae5594958ff4f0142025-08-20T03:45:56ZengBMCHealth & Justice2194-78992025-08-0113111210.1186/s40352-025-00355-3The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record studyPaula Toko King0Frederieke Sanne Petrović-van der Deen1Melissa McLeod2Ricci Harris3Cheryl Davies4Donna Cormack5Tristram Ingham6Bernadette Jones7Bridget Robson8Natalie Paki Paki9Gabrielle Baker10Belinda Tuari-Toma11Jeannine Stairmand12Marama Cole13Tīria Pehi14Julia Carr15Christopher Kemp16Marshall H. Chin17Ruth Cunningham18Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoDepartment of Public Health, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTū Kotahi Māori Asthma TrustTe Kupenga Hauora Māori, Waipapa Taumata Rau/University of AucklandDepartment of Medicine, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoDepartment of Medicine, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoBaker Consulting Ltd.Tū Kotahi Māori Asthma TrustTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoTe Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoPublic Health Medicine SpecialistCenter for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins UniversityDepartment of Medicine, University of ChicagoDepartment of Public Health, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of OtagoAbstract Background Indigenous Māori are imprisoned on a mass scale by the nation-state currently known as New Zealand, driven by racialised inequities that occur across the criminal legal system and a rapidly expanding carceral state. Lack of reliable data limits the ability to monitor and evaluate the health and disability impacts of imprisonment on Māori. We examined ethnicity data quality; specifically, potential miscounting of Māori in prison. All individuals who experienced at least one night of imprisonment between 2018 and 2021 were selected from the Department of Corrections (Corrections) data in the Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). We compared counts and proportions of Māori using two sources of ethnicity information; Corrections and IDI’s core data. Within this cohort, we compared self-identified ethnicity from the 2018 Census with ethnicity recorded in Corrections data available in the IDI (via individual linkage), to assess levels of match between datasets and calculate net undercount. Results Lesser numbers of Māori were recorded in the Corrections data compared to the IDI’s core data (52% versus 57% of the study cohort), a pattern observed across all age and gender groups, and amongst those sentenced and on remand. For the linked analysis, only one third (34%) of the cohort linked to the IDI central spine had self-identified ethnicity from the 2018 Census. Of this group, 46% self-identified as Māori ethnicity. When this information was compared to ethnicity information reported by Corrections for the same individuals, there was a 12% undercount of Māori in Corrections data. The net undercount of Māori was 6%, equating to at least an extra 405 Māori imprisoned than what is publicly reported by government. Conclusions Reliable data inclusive of high-quality ethnicity data are critical for understanding and monitoring Māori health in terms of resource allocation, policy decisions, and performance of health and disability services for Māori imprisoned in NZ. Systemic undercounting of Māori in prisons is a breach of Indigenous rights to monitor and evaluate impacts of government actions and inactions for Māori. We do not accept the inevitability of prisons but whilst prisons exist, and until there are no prisons left on Māori whenua (lands), an all-of-government approach to prioritisation of high-quality ethnicity data across the criminal legal system that meets obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international human rights instruments is urgently required.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00355-3IndigenousMāoriEthnicityPrisonHealthRights |
| spellingShingle | Paula Toko King Frederieke Sanne Petrović-van der Deen Melissa McLeod Ricci Harris Cheryl Davies Donna Cormack Tristram Ingham Bernadette Jones Bridget Robson Natalie Paki Paki Gabrielle Baker Belinda Tuari-Toma Jeannine Stairmand Marama Cole Tīria Pehi Julia Carr Christopher Kemp Marshall H. Chin Ruth Cunningham The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study Health & Justice Indigenous Māori Ethnicity Prison Health Rights |
| title | The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study |
| title_full | The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study |
| title_fullStr | The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study |
| title_short | The undercounting of Indigenous Māori imprisoned by the New Zealand carceral state: a national record study |
| title_sort | undercounting of indigenous maori imprisoned by the new zealand carceral state a national record study |
| topic | Indigenous Māori Ethnicity Prison Health Rights |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00355-3 |
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