Obstetric data published by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health (MoH) has demonstrated the existence of disparity between Māori and non-Māori in the provision of epidural pain relief in childbirth. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a larger study into the causes of disparity. Studies of ethnic disparity in obstetric pain relief were reviewed and then the sources of New Zealand data were investigated for their ability to provide useful information. Finally a small sample of obstetricians, anaesthetists, and midwives in Wellington were interviewed in order to gain insight that would hopefully stimulate further thought and discussion. Other studies showed that socioeconomic status, maternal education and age, and parity are influenced by ethnicity, and impact on whether a woman will receive epidural analgesia: as is the ability of clinical staff of ethnicities different to that of the woman in childbirth to accurately assess her level of pain. MoH data was found to be gathered from maternity provider funding claims rather than patient notes, there was no official definition of epidural analgesia, and local data gathering initiatives are not able to be interfaced with each other or the MoH data. In conclusion, potential sources of disparity were identified, but a larger study into disparity of epidural analgesia cannot be achieved using the available data. A study could be achieved by liaising with key providers to recruit a random sample of women who have recently given birth, using inpatient records for data collection..