The infant mortality rate fell steadily with a major reduction in infectious and respiratory diseases, previously the main causes of death. Unlike earlier years, a major part of this improvement has occurred at retirement ages. However, this improvement has not altered New Zealand's slightly disadvantaged position internationally. Currently residents of at least 10 other countries can expect to live longer than New Zealanders. Respiratory diseases claim another 10 percent.
Women continue to outlive men.
A century ago, women could expect to outlive men by 2 years. In recent years the female-male differences in mortality appear to have declined to just over 5 years. Non-M ori generally have lower mortality rates than M ori. As a result, life expectancy at birth for non-M ori was greater than that for M ori by 8.1 years for males and 9 years for females. A newborn M ori girl can expect to live 71.6 years, and a newborn M ori boy can expect to live 67.2 years, a difference of 4.4 years.