Startling Surge in Deaths of New Zealand Children: Did the Government Cover It Up??

Deaths in New Zealand Ages 0-4 Leap by 76%, from average of 344 to 608 in 2022!

Kudos to @SpiderCatNZ – give them a follow in X – for shedding light on a startling rise in child mortality rates for New Zealand's ages 0-4 through Official Information Act requests. The figures skyrocketed from a 2000-2021 average of 344 to an alarming 608 in 2022.

Furthermore, there are indications that the New Zealand Government may be tampering with the official figures.

Although initially doubtful, I can confirm the findings are accurate – and I encourage you to verify them as well.

Here’s how you can do it.

Simply go to New Zealand’s official statistics website here, and select “Death by age and sex (Annual-Dec)”.

Then, simply select the following parameters.

Sex = Total Both Sexes
Observations = Infant and 1-4 years (Infant is defined as 0-1 years old)
Years = 2020 - 2022

You will get a result that looks like this.

The official data seems normal at first glance, doesn't it?

However, @SpiderCatNZ submitted an Official Information Request and unearthed something astonishing.

The All-Cause mortality statistics for New Zealand in 2022 reveal a total of 608 deaths for the age group 0 - 4. That is an increase of 76% over the average from 2000 to 2021 – a shocking revelation indeed!

Surprisingly, there's a stark discrepancy in the numbers when contrasted with those reported on the Government's Official Stats website (NZStats), which recorded just 249 deaths in 2022. This is a striking variance, with the OIA request revealing figures that are over double the official count!

Following the discovery, @SpiderCatNZ reached out again for confirmation of the data. Subsequently, an apology was issued regarding an error in the reported figures for the 20-24 age group between July and August. So, they double checked the numbers and concluded that age group 0-4 is indeed accurate!

Just to put it in perspective, here is the total All Cause Mortality (0-4 years) using the 2022 data from OIA.

Did they manipulate the consolidated data (the official data on StatsNZ) without massaging the downstream data (from OIA)?

This is precisely the reason behind the eroding trust in governmental data. The entire situation gives off a suspicious air and calls for a more detailed explanation from the authorities.

Please find the full OIA Response from SpiderCatz website here!

Signing off for now!
A17