Snapshots of Maori health in 20 District Health Board regions have been released in Maori for the first time.

The profiles have been researched and compiled by a Wellington-based University of Otago group.

Lead researcher Bridget Robson says it's important that the people most affected have the statistics in their own language.

She hopes it will assist te reo speakers to engage with Maori health data and advocate for the issues affecting their communities.

The initiative was commissioned by the Ministry of Health, as part of a focus to reveal where there are inequalities compared to non-Maori.