New Zealand was well known in the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic for having few related deaths while other countries suffered heavy loss of life. Some thought that there would be a ‘catch up’ so that total excess deaths would end up similar to those in other countries. There wasn’t. New Zealand remains an outstanding example of saving lives.
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Estimations of future life expectancy of New Zealanders have declined over the last few years. Each cohort is still expected to live longer than previous cohorts – people born in 2000 should live longer on average than people born in 1990, for example – but the expectations for everyone are not as optimistic as they were. What is behind this and what does it mean?
New Zealand had one of the lowest levels of excess mortality in the world in 2020 and 2021 because it held Covid-19 at bay until the population was well-vaccinated. What is happening now? Continue reading