This review of studies conducted in specialist psychiatric and primary care populations in New Zealand allowed comparisons between Māori and non-Māori in terms of clinical phenomena, therapeutic care and cost of care. While there were variations in the methodologies used and subsequent results this paper reported obvious differences in therapeutic experiences, cost of care and diagnostic patterns between Māori and non- Māori. The authors proposed that the variations emphasise differences between these ethnic groups, which account for the differences in experiences of the users. The authors also advocated that the variations may reflect inadequacies in service provision for Māori and that an examination of the validity of Western approaches in relation to appropriateness for Māori is warranted.
