Scientists are stumped as to why dementia seems to progress slower in Maori, than in Pakeha

A study published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal, has found Maori presented with the condition as much as 10 years earlier, but the disease then moved more slowly than in Pakeha patients.

One suggestion is that Maori may experience a different type of dementia, or receive better care at home.

Study co-author Dr Sarah Cullum says it would take a dementia prevalence study to find out.

But she says that's expensive, and would require government funding as it involves interviewing thousands of people.