The number of Kiwi women who die during or soon after pregnancy has almost halved, new figures show. The drop is the first significant reduction of the maternal death rate since 2006. The Māori maternal death rate remained higher than any other ethnicity but was also significantly lower than it was previously. But while the rate of maternal deaths decreased, work is needed to prevent preterm birth so that fewer babies die. The neonatal death rate has not fallen in the last 10 years, unlike the UK and Australia.

Amy Wiggins, New Zealand Herald, June 26, 2018.

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