National review of avoidable deaths

In 2023 around 38,000 people died in New Zealand, of which up to a quarter were potentially avoidable. We establish and report on how ethnicity, deprivation, the urban/rural divide, age, employment status, disability and access to medical care impact mortality. Our current programme includes four workstreams: child and youth, perinatal and maternal, perioperative, family violence.

About the national mortality review function

Role of National Mortality Review Committee He Mutunga Kore

Mortality review subject matter experts

Mortality review workstreams

Researcher access to the National Mortality Review Committee He Mutunga Kore data

Find out more about Births and deaths: Year ended December 2023 (www.stats.govt.nz)

Latest news Pito kōrero hou tonu

New report highlights deaths of mothers and babies due to family violence
Mortality Review Committee

30 Jun 2025

Investigating early interventions to save the lives of mothers and babies is one of the actions set to follow a report examining violence-related deaths of women and girls in Aotearoa New Zealand.
New data shows surgery mortality outcomes improving
Mortality Review Committee Perioperative Mortality Review

22 Oct 2024

A new ‘Surgery and risk in Aotearoa New Zealand’ infographic has been released with data updated to December 2023 showing overall surgical mortality rates in New Zealand are not increasing.

Featured resources Ngā rauemi

Sixteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee | Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Tekau mā Ono o te Komiti Arotake Mate Pēpi, Mate Whaea Hoki

The Sixteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee | Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Tekau mā Ono o te Komiti Arotake Mate Pēpi, Mate Whaea Hoki.

Ninth report of the Perioperative Mortality Review Committee | Te pūrongo tuaiwa o te Komiti Arotake Mate Whai Muri mai i te Poka

Equity in major trauma outcomes is the focus of this ninth Perioperative Mortality Review Committee (POMRC) report.

Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Tekau mā Toru o te Komiti Arotake Mate Pēpi, Mate Whaea Hoki | Thirteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee

The Thirteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee | Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Tekau mā Toru o te Komiti Arotake Mate Pēpi, Mate Whaea Hoki.

Te Pou – Māori responsive rubric and guidelines

Ngā Pou Arawhenua has assisted the Health Quality & Safety Commission's mortality review committees to better understand Māori mortality review practice through the production of Te Pou, the Māori responsive rubric and guidelines.

Latest resources

Family violence experts in the criminal court: the need to fill the void

Family violence death information sheet series

Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee: 15th data report: 2015–19 | Te Rōpū Arotake Auau Mate o te Hunga Tamariki, Taiohi: Te pūrongo raraunga 15: 2015–19

Sixteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee | Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Tekau mā Ono o te Komiti Arotake Mate Pēpi, Mate Whaea Hoki

Surgery and risk in Aotearoa New Zealand | Te pōkanga me te tūponotanga i Aotearoa