Report shows Pasifika people not applying for euthanasia

A new report from the Ministry of Health has shown no Pasifika New Zealanders have applied for assisted dying.

The End of Life Choice Act came into effect late last year and from then till March of this year, 66 people have had an assisted death.

Of the applicants, 79 percent are Pākehā, six percent are Māori, two percent are Asian and 13 percent did not describe their ethnicity.

As of 2018, Māori, Asian and Pasifika represent 40 percent of the population, contrasting their eight percent demographic in the report.

The report also outlined that 73 percent of assisted deaths took place in a persons home or private residence, with 84 percent of patients choosing to have the lethal medication administered by a doctor or nurse, rather than doing it themselves.

The report acknowledges that assisted dying is relatively new with low numbers so far, and it expects the demographics to change over time.