Chronic Kidney Disease in New Zealand Māori and Pacific People

Abstract

Summary: Chronic kidney disease (CKD)disproportionately affects Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand [NZ])as well as Pacific people, particularly from Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. As New Zealand is home to the largest population of Pacific people, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands fulfil the definition of a CKD ‘hotspot’. Although diabetic nephropathy is the major cause of CKD, with disproportionately higher rates in NZ Māori and Pacific people, there is increasing evidence that there is a familial predisposition to CKD that is not due to diabetes. Further studies are required to understand the reasons for this pre-disposition.