These tables contain information on the underlying causes of all deaths registered in New Zealand in 2015. A ‘Quick facts’ section also includes information on rates of death by ethnicity and selected causes of mortality. Most information is broken down by age, sex, ethnicity, district health board and statistical classification chapters, subgroups and three character codes.

Annual statistical publication that collates and analyses information on the underlying causes of all deaths registered in New Zealand. The commentary summarises key facts, mortality rates, trends and major causes of death by age group, ethnicity and sex. Cancer, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, motor vehicle accidents and suicide deaths are analysed and reviewed in more detail.

This publication contains facts, mortality rates, trends and major causes of death by age group, sex, ethnicity and district health board for deaths registered in 2011. Cancer, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, motor vehicle accidents and suicide deaths are analysed and reviewed in more detail. Where possible, time trends from 1950 are included.

The Hector’s and Māui dolphins are subspecies of the small dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori. These coastal dolphins are endemic to New Zealand (not found anywhere else). Māui dolphins are found on the west coast of the North Island, most often between Maunganui Bluff, north of Dargaville, and New Plymouth. Hector’s dolphins are mostly found around the South Island. Both subspecies are threatened with extinction. The Hector’s dolphin is classified as nationally endangered, while the Māui dolphin is nationally critical. Dolphins can become entangled in fishing gear used by both commercial and recreational fishers, with set nets posing a particularly high risk. Reporting the bycatch of protected species helps us understand the pressures our protected marine species face from fishing. We report on two aspects of Hector’s and Māui dolphin deaths based on data extracted from the Department of Conservation (DOC) Incident Database for 1921–2015: the number of dolphin deaths by cause of death, including a comparison of deaths over 1996–2015; and the number of dolphin deaths from entanglement by type of fishing gear.

The South Island Hector’s and Māui dolphins are among the world’s smallest marine dolphins. Both are subspecies of the Hector’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori. These coastal dolphins are endemic to New Zealand, which means that they are not found anywhere else. The Māui dolphin is found in the inshore waters of the west coast of the North Island, most often from Maunganui Bluff, north of Dargaville, to New Plymouth. The South Island Hector’s dolphin (hereafter referred to as ‘Hector’s dolphin’) is mostly found in the inshore waters around the South Island. Both subspecies are threatened with extinction: Hector’s dolphins have a population estimated at 15,000 and are classified as nationally vulnerable, while Māui dolphins have a population estimated at 63 individuals over one year old and are classified as nationally critical (Baker et al, 2019; MacKenzie & Clement, 2016; Baker et al, 2016).

Dolphins can become entangled in fishing gear used by both commercial and recreational fishers, with set nets posing a particularly high risk. The accidental capture of marine life in fishing gear is typically referred to as bycatch. Reporting the causes of death of protected species and specifically identifying the number of animals killed as a result of fishing activities helps us understand the pressures our protected marine species face from fishing.

DOC’s Hector’s and Māui dolphin incident database 1921-2018 provides data on reported deaths of Hector’s and Māui dolphins.

This indicator measures the number of reported Hector’s and Māui dolphin deaths from entanglement, categorised by type of fishing gear where possible, since 1998. The number of entanglements is compared to the total number of reported deaths.

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.