males has dropped from around 13 years in 1950 -1952 to around 7 years today.46 (b) Māori have higher rates than non-Māori for many health conditions and chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma;47 (c) Māori experience higher disability rates;48 and 70. Māori adults and children are also more likely than their non-Māori counterparts to have unmet health needs.49 In this regard, barriers continue to exist in relation to cost, childcare availability and transport. 71. Pasifika also continue to experience poorer health outcomes than other groups: (a) Life expectancy is more than four years less than for the total population;50 (b) Pasifika experience higher levels of unmet primary health care needs – the cost of visits to doctors and prescriptions have been identified as key barriers; (c) Infant mortality rates have remained static at about 20% higher than for the rest of the population; and (d) Pasifika have higher rates of infectious diseases than other New Zealanders.51 Health outcomes for Māori and Pasifika children 72. Māori children and young people are over-represented in negative health outcomes. For example, around one in five Māori children has asthma – a rate 1.4 times that of non-Māori children.52 Māori children are almost twice as likely to be either obese or morbidly obese compared with non-Māori children.53 Māori young people have a suicide rate that is 2.8 times higher than that of non-Māori youth.54 Māori children have a higher rate of unmet health needs: Māori children were 1.4 times more likely not to have accessed primary health when they needed it than non-Māori children.55 Māori children are also more likely to be exposed to the risk factors linked to poor health, social, educational and developmental outcomes.56 46 http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/health/life_expectancy/period-life-tables.aspx Ministry of Health, (2015). Tatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book 2015 (3rd edition). Wellington: Ministry of Health. http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/tatau-kahukura-Māori-health-chart-book-2015-3rd-edition 48 Ibid. 49 Supra note 23. 50 Supra note 22. 51 http://www.bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2010/November/docs/BPJ_32_infectious_pages_10-14.pdf 52 Ministry of Health, (2015), Annual Update of Key Results 2014/15: New Zealand Health Survey, at p 51. Accessible at: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/annual-update-key-results-2014-15-new-zealand-health- survey 53 Ibid at p 17. 54 Ibid at p 19 55 Ibid at p viii. 56 Ministry of Health, (2015), Health and Independence Report 2015, at pp 32-33. Accessible at: http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/health-and-independence-report-2015-oct15.pdf. 47 18