The suicide rate among Maori men spiked to nearly 32 suicides for every 100,000 people in 2016, more than double the rate for non-Maori men and the highest in the past decade.
Ministry of Health figures show the increase happened as suicide rates for other groups remained stable or improved slightly.
Tio Sewell from the National Maori Suicide Prevention Centre, Te Au, told RNZ reporter Rachel Graham, he is disappointed but not surprised by the figures.
