Introduction – Waikato Hospital is one of New Zealand’s four burns units, serving 8% of New Zealand’s population. The Waikato region of New Zealand has a large Māori population, representing 25.2% of residents, second to New Zealand Europeans, comprising 71.7% according to the 2023 census.1
Methods – A retrospective study was completed from 10 years of burns treated at Waikato Hospital between May 2015 and May 2025 (n=1584). Patient demographics, the mechanism of injury and the character of burns were evaluated.
Findings – Over the last 10 years, 42% of patients presenting to Waikato Hospital have been New Zealand Māori patients, compared to 41.8% for New Zealand European patients. The most common types of burns were food and cooking (17%), hot water/steam (16%), outdoor fires (11.1%) and hot beverages (10.5%). Māori patients were statistically more likely to present with burns from cooking, geothermal, heaters, hot water/steam, ignition sources/smoking and firework-related burns. Children under 3 represented 25.7% of the total presentations. Māori children under 3 were 79% more likely to present for an acute burn compared to New Zealand European children.
Conclusions – There is a disproportionate representation of the Māori population with regards to acute presentations for burns at Waikato Hospital compared to New Zealand European counterparts. These burns largely surround hazards in the home, and therefore, ongoing education and further work with Iwi leaders should be explored to reduce these preventable injuries.