Wanganui's Year 8 Maori students had a 22 per cent higher rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination at the end of 2013 than the national average, while all other ethnicities in Wanganui were 8 per cent higher.
"At the end of the three rounds of Wanganui's 2013 HPV vaccinations programme, 81 per cent of our Year 8 Maori girls and 61 per cent of all other ethnicities were vaccinated," said Public Health, Community and Rural Services clinical nurse manager Itayi Mapanda.
This number compared with the 59 per cent Maori girls and 53 all other ethnicities nationally.
The three-step HPV vaccination programme for Year 8 girls begins in March.
Boostrix vaccinations for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) for Year 7 boys and girls, begin in June.
The HPV vaccine aims to protect against infection from four types of HPV, two high-risk types causing seven out of 10 cervical cancers, and two low-risk types causing nine out of 10 cases of genital warts.
According to the Ministry of Health, the incidence of cervical cancer in developed nations is approximately 10-15 per 100,000 women aged 20-70 years (0.01-0.015 per cent), with an annual mortality of approximately 5-8 per 100,000 (0.005-0.008 per cent).
Between 150-160 New Zealand women develop cervical cancer each year and around 50 of those die from the condition, said Mrs Mapanda.
The vaccine also helps to protect against less common cancers, such as vaginal and other genital cancers, and some mouth and throat cancers caused by HPV infection.
Whanganui District Health Board medical officer of health Patrick O'Connor said they were unsure of the reason behind Wanganui's high uptake of the HPV vaccination.
"It could be that existing education programmes and an increase in media coverage have led to a higher level of awareness of the harm caused by cervical cancers and the protective benefits of vaccination," he said.
They were unsure why Maori girls had a higher vaccination rate than other ethnicities.
As for Boostrix vaccinations, of the 854 eligible Wanganui children, 789 returned their consent forms last year, which Mrs Mapanda said was considered a "good response rate".
More than 8000 cases of whooping cough were notified since the most recent outbreak of the disease began in August 2011.