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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 225 KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1931 (Statute of Westminster) Population: 4,506,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 1.5% p.a. 1990–2013 GDP p.c.: US$41,556 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 7 Life expectancy: 81 years (2012) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 6 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 8.5% of GDP (2012) General information New Zealand’s Māori name is Aotearoa, meaning ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. A well-watered and fertile mountainous island country in the South Pacific, New Zealand consists of two large islands (North Island and South Island), Stewart Island and a number of offshore islands. It is somewhat isolated, being about 1,600 km east of Australia, the nearest land mass. Other neighbouring countries are Vanuatu and Tonga. Climate: Temperate marine climate influenced by the surrounding ocean, the prevailing westerly winds and the mountainous nature of the islands. The weather tends to be changeable. Winds can be very strong, sometimes damaging buildings and trees. Rain, sometimes very heavy, occurs throughout the year. Cold southerly winds bring snow in winter, sometimes in spring. In Wellington, yearly average rainfall is 1,270 mm (143 mm in July, and averaging 87 mm in November–February); average January temperature is 13–20°C and July temperature 6–11°C. Most of the country experiences at least 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. In recent years, weather patterns have been affected by La Niña and El Niño; some unusually high temperatures have been recorded; and drought and unusually heavy rainfall have occurred. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are deforestation and soil erosion, and the impact on native flora and fauna of species introduced from other countries. Population: 4,506,000 (2013); 86 per cent of people live in urban areas and 29 per cent in urban agglomerations of more than a million people. The population growth rate stood at 1.2 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2013 the birth rate was 14 per 1,000 people (22 in 1970) and life expectancy 81 years (71 in 1970). The 2006 census recorded 2,609,592 people of European origin (65 per cent); 565,329 people of Polynesian (Māori) descent (14 per cent); 265,974 Pacific Island Polynesians (6.6 per cent), mostly from Samoa (131,103), Cook Islands (56,895) and Tonga (50,478); some 139,728 Chinese (3.5 per cent); and 97,443 Indians (2.4 per cent). About 75 per cent of people live in North Island, of which the average population density is 24 per sq km (South Island: six per sq km). Economy: New Zealand is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality in New Zealand was five deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of six deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012, down from 11 deaths in 1990. The MDG target for New Zealand is to have a rate of four deaths per 1,000 live births by 2015. In 2012 the two most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were congenital anomalies (22 per cent) and prematurity (25 per cent). Other contributory causes were injuries (17 per cent), intrapartum-related complications (eight per cent), acute respiratory infections (five per cent), diarrhoea and neonatal sepsis (both two per cent). In 2013 New Zealand had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of eight deaths per 100,000 live births (an estimate from UN agencies/World Bank), close to the MDG target of four deaths per 100,000 live births for 2015. Almost all (96 per cent) births were attended by a qualified attendant in 2010. Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in New Zealand accounted for an estimated 88 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in New Zealand are cardiovascular New Zealand


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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