Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New Zealand Police

A crime wave gripping a small Waikato town over the past month has been solved, following a spate of burglaries and an arson.

Two young people are allegedly behind the offending at important local facilities as well as homes in Otaua, south of Auckland.

The pair are now being held to account.

Twelve burglaries and an arson has been recorded by Counties Manukau South Police since October.

“Concerningly, Otaua School had been targeted for seven burglaries and an arson,” Senior Sergeant Melody Brown says.

“Our Waiuku Community Engagement Team has also been investigating burglaries at the community hall and bowling club.”

A shed at Otaua School was extensively damaged by fire earlier this month.

Five residential properties were also burgled nearby.

“Our enquiries have identified two 15-year-old males who we will allege are responsible for this offending spree,” Senior Sergeant Brown says.

Search warrants were executed at Waiuku properties at the weekend.

Senior Sergeant Brown says items of interest were located during the searches.

“Police will be holding this pair to account through the Youth Aid process,” she says.

“It’s disappointing when local schools and other important, well-loved community spaces are targeted for this sort of offending.

“For Otaua, I’m sure it’s reassuring this pair has been identified and we can put a stop to this offending.”

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Government

Introduction 

Good morning, and thank you for the warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge Matt Freeman and his team for hosting today’s event. 

It’s a real privilege to join you at New Zealand’s largest roading conference. The work you do underpins our economy and the daily lives of millions of New Zealanders.

This Government is committed to providing better travel choices that reduce congestion, and support a transport system that helps people and freight get where they need to go. 

I’m looking forward to talking to you today about some of the Government’s key priorities for transport, including what we’ve learnt, where we’re heading, and how we’ll work with you to get there.

Economic Context – green shoots

Let me start with the economic context. 

There can be no doubt that we live in difficult economic times. This government came to office with New Zealand in the midst of a prolonged cost of living crisis, with high inflation, high interest rates, and after years of profligate debt-fuelled government spending.

Beginning to right-this-ship isn’t easy, and it was never going to happen straight away. Kiwis are rightfully impatient. But we have made good progress that we are proud of.

We have had a raft of positive economic indicators in the last few weeks, which does suggest the economy may be starting to turn a corner. 

Data out last week confirmed we have had four months in a row of growth in our manufacturing sector. 

Building consents are up 27 percent compared with the same month last year and we consented the highest level of homes in more than two years.

Last month data showed that exports rose by almost $1 billion to $5.8 billion in the September quarter – a 19 percent increase on last year. 

Tourism continues to rebound, with numbers out last week showing overseas visitor arrivals increased by nearly 200,000 in the year to September, compared with the previous year. 

And here’s something particularly relevant to this audience: seasonally adjusted ready-mixed concrete numbers out last week had their second strongest quarter of growth post-Covid in September.

Business confidence in October surged to its highest since February, which is nice to see after a year of international uncertainty.  

Times are still tough; there is no doubting that. But green shoots are starting to show.

This hasn’t happened by accident. It is the result of a government focused on the fundamentals in our economy: getting spending and debt under control, deregulation, and attacking the drivers and obstacles to economic growth. 

International ratings agencies remain confident in New Zealand’s economic track under this Government, as well. 

Morningstar DBRS, the fourth-largest credit rating agency in the world, recently gave New Zealand a triple A rating – the highest possible. New Zealand also has a triple A rating from Moody’s and has an AA+ rating from both S&P Global and Fitch Ratings.

This is all to say: our plan is working. 

We are making the tough choices for the right reasons, and the opportunities ahead are coming sharply into focus.

Hungry for growth 

Which brings me to some of those difficult choices.

For too long, New Zealand’s productivity and economy have been weak. Some brush this reality off, as if it is immovable or even inevitable. They speak as if our culture is inherently unproductive. As if we are destined to live in a low-growth economy forever. 

This attitude has infected successive governments, who have brushed off this challenge, too. 

Well, we aren’t. Low productivity, and a weak economy, is a choice. 

We are choosing the other path. 

We are choosing the path of growth.

But not just growth for growths sake. When some hear ‘economic growth’ they think about numbers on a page, up 1%, down 1%, flat, negative, etc. 

Economic growth doesn’t mean the suits in the CBD get to buy another car or investment property. 

No. 

Economic growth – real economic growth – means that the young couple, desperately saving for their first house, gets there quicker.

The grandparents on superannuation have more money in their back pocket to visit their grandchildren.

The farmer can employ that extra pair of hands they’ve always talked about.

The shop owner can buy the empty store next door, so they can grow the business. 

The new parent can get their newborn a doctor’s appointment faster, and cheaper.

And the teacher, nurse, doctor, firefighter, and cop can earn what they deserve.

When we talk about economic growth, that is what we are talking about. 

Higher incomes, more job opportunities, better public services, improved infrastructure, and a lower cost of living. 

This is what we are hungry for. 

That is why we are focused on economic growth.

We must tackle the fundamental challenges holding back New Zealand’s future. 

Fixing the fundamentals

Which is why we have a raft of reforms underway to change our economy for the better. 

None are more substantial or important than reforming our planning system. Everyone knows that the RMA has failed – none more than those of you in this room – so I won’t dwell on that. But for 30 years, we have let reams of unnecessary red tape hold back almost everything anyone wants to do in New Zealand. 

Years have been wasted and millions spent in consenting something as simple as a supermarket or a road, or a wind farm. 

People are being forced to go back to the drawing board over and over again because some greenies can’t accept that we need roads to survive. 

In a matter of weeks, I will announce our new replacement planning system. 

It will cut the need for a huge proportion of consents entirely. It will be highly standardised, so if you are building a culvert for the 40^th time, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. 

It will be proportionate to the real risk of development, rather than focusing on managing every single effect something has just for the sake of it. 

It will unshackle our economy, and will mean that those that build things, like you, can spend more time and money on pavers and pipes, rather than process and paperwork. 

I can’t wait to get the Bills into Parliament and get them into law next year.

Road Funding

Speaking of roads, we aren’t just changing the way we build roads. We’re changing the way we fund them, too. 

Yesterday Parliament passed the first reading of legislation to create a fairer, simpler, and more modern transport funding system – one that is fit for the next generation of road building.

At the heart of this reform is fairness. Every road user should contribute in proportion to their use of the network. That’s why the Bill makes important changes to both the Road User Charges system and the tolling framework.

On tolling, we are giving ourselves the flexibility to deliver the big projects New Zealand needs, sooner. 

Tolling is a key tool for bringing forward investment, and the Bill introduces a number of changes. 

Enabling corridor tolling will allow tolling on parts of an existing road where users clearly benefit from a new project in the same corridor.

The Bill gives us new tools to manage diversion from toll roads, including restricting heavy vehicles from unsuitable alternative routes like they do overseas, and allowing toll revenue to help maintain those alternative routes when councils can’t.

We are also introducing annual CPI adjustments to make tolling fairer and more predictable, as well as shifting liability from the driver to the registered person to improve collection efficiency.

On Road User Charges, the changes we are making are equally transformative, and world leading.

The current system was designed in the 1970s and still relies on manual paperwork and stickers on windscreens. That’s not good enough in 2025. 

The Bill will make critical changes to prepare the transport sector for our plans to transition the light vehicle fleet to RUC. 

This is about building a funding system that supports growth, delivers fairness, and ensures we can keep building the roads New Zealand needs – faster and smarter.

Transport powering growth

In our mission for growth, transport and infrastructure is a critical component. Congestion is a growth and productivity-killer. Every minute stuck in traffic is a minute you are not able to use productively. 

Better transport connections are the answer. We want to cut congestion and create a more productive and resilient transport network that drives economic growth. 

Road use accounts for 98.6% of total kilometres travelled by people, and 77% of the total net freight tonne-kilometres are via road.

That’s why we are investing heavily in our roading network to make the critical connections between our towns, cities and ports more efficient. 

Last year, we announced a record $32.9 billion investment in New Zealand’s transport network through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.

It boosts funding by 35 percent compared to the previous three years, and reprioritises funding to ensure New Zealanders actually get what they need: better roads and public transport, and fewer potholes. 

Creating a pipeline of growth

Which brings me to our largest, most ambitious project as a government: the Roads of National Significance programme.

We are determined to build a credible, genuine pipeline of transport infrastructure projects that will help transform New Zealand’s economy.

Whether it is freight or families, containers or cars, these roads will help supercharge New Zealand’s growth centres.

This programme is not new. The last time National was in Government, the first iteration of the RoNS programme prioritised and delivered seven major roading projects across New Zealand, which have transformed the way Kiwis travel and trade. 

These seven original RONS like the Waikato Expressway, and the Tauranga Eastern Corridor, have significantly improved connectivity in New Zealand’s ‘Golden Triangle’ of growth – between Tauranga, Hamilton, and Auckland. 

They have connected our major population centres, and businesses, with our major ports in this economically critical part of New Zealand. 

And in the Lower North Island, improvements on the Wellington Northern Corridor – which includes Transmission Gully and the Kāpiti Expressway – have provided a more resilient route in and out of Wellington, more reliable journey times, secure freight connections, as well as improved safety for all who use the wider network.

Our 17 next-generation RONS will again see the building of safe and resilient strategic corridors that will offer the economic growth and productivity outcomes New Zealand needs.

And we are making good progress. Work is now underway to progress all 17 of the RONS, with three in construction.

Just last week I turned a sod on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, one of the first new RONS to reach the main works stage.

Procurement is well advanced on stage 1 of the Northland Expressway. 

NZTA has now completed and released investment cases for each of the RONS. 

The fact that they have achieved this in just two years is remarkable and I take my hat off to them. 

In the past some of these investment cases would have taken between 3 and 5 years.

NZTA has also recently committed $1.2 billion to acquire land and to progress consenting, design, route protection, site investigations, and some early works. 

This is all about building up a credible, long-term pipeline of transport projects so that as funding becomes available, projects can proceed to construction.

The reality is we came to office with very little in the transport pipeline left to us by the previous government. 

The focus was on safety barriers, doing some maintenance, building some shared paths… and that was about it. 

So, we’re getting on with building a proper pipeline.

Challenges ahead

I do want to be upfront with you about the challenges we face in delivering these big new roading projects.

Let me make a few important points here.

The starting point is that the Roads of National Significance are very expensive projects.

For example, the cost of stage two and three of the Northland Expressway is expected to be up to $18 billion. Even a project like the Hope Bypass is expected to cost north of a billion dollars. 

Based on current estimates, delivering the RoNS programme in full over the next 20 years would cost $56 billion. Funding this entirely from petrol tax and road user charges, would require a one-off 70% increase. Equivalent to a 49 cent per litre increase in petrol tax.

To be clear, this 49 cent per litre increase, would only allow the RONS to be delivered. It would not provide any funding for other major transport projects such as the Second Waitematā Harbour Crossing, or the North West Busway.

So how do we pay for them all?

Well, let me make a few points.

First, the National Land Transport Fund is already massively subscribed.

Our transport system is supposed to be user pays. In other words, road users pay petrol tax and road user charges and the money goes out the other end on maintenance, upgrades and new projects.

But in recent years, Crown funding has been tipped in more and more, which comes from general taxation – in other words, all taxpayers.

The 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme outlined expenditure of $17 billion over 3 years, and was largely funded by road users, who contributed $13 billion.

Fast forward to the 2024-27 NLTP, and the total investment has nearly doubled at $32.9 billion, but road users are still contributing roughly the same amount, $14.3 billion. 

The increased investment has come primarily from Crown funding, with around $12.8 billion of direct Crown funding provided over 2024-27.

The second point flows from the first. 

Capital contributions from general taxation have to compete with every other important priority the government has to fund.

Every dollar of extra Crown capital we put into roading is a dollar that can’t go into health, or education, or defence, or any of the other calls on capital the Crown has.

Of course, all of these areas have significant deficits and similar funding challenges.

I am an advocate for Crown capital helping to fund roads because of all the economic benefits I’ve talked about.

I’m just making the point that there are difficult trade-offs.

One option is to lift petrol tax and RUC.

Petrol tax has not risen since 2020 and has not kept up with inflation. In 2023, we campaigned on not increasing petrol tax in our first term. This was the right thing to do when there was a cost of living crisis, but we have to be honest about those consequences. It has deferred the issue until later.

Petrol tax is due to go up by 12c per litre in 2027, by six cents on 1 January 2028, and 4 cents in each year after that.

There is obviously a limit to what Kiwis will accept both economically and politically.

As I’ve said, to deliver all of the RONS petrol tax and RUC would have to rise by 70% or 49c per litre. This would be on top of the planned increases we’ve set out for 2027 onwards.

Fourth, on PPPs.

PPPs are not a magic money tree. They are a procurement tool, that’s all. 

They are essentially the Government taking out an extra mortgage to build a road sooner. So yes, they help in terms of procurement and driving efficiency, but the projects still have to be paid for.

Fifth, on tolls.

If I had a dollar every time someone said to me “just chuck a toll on, it will pay for the road in no time”, I would almost have enough money to pay for one of these RONS. 

Tolls are useful but they don’t fully fund roads. Not even close. New Zealand just doesn’t have the traffic volumes. They are critical tools in helping fill in the funding stack, and provide important ongoing revenue for maintenance costs. But they are not going to pay for these roads by themselves. 

The same is true for infrastructure levies to make sure beneficiaries pay for benefits from public expenditure.

We’re changing the IFF Act to allow IFF levies to be used for state highway construction and public transport projects, but they provide extra revenue on the margins, that’s all.

Sixth, and finally, we also have other priorities in the land transport space.

We have critical public transport projects to fund, as well as the second harbour crossing in Auckland – which will be the most expensive infrastructure project ever built in New Zealand.

So where does all this leave us?

The government is committed to the Roads of National Significance but delivering them all tomorrow is not realistic.

Nor, by the way, is it an option for the construction sector.

What we need is a credible, long-term pipeline of transport projects with a variety of funding options and in a logical sequence.

I’ve been calling this a Major Transport Projects Pipeline, or MTPP.

It includes the RONS but also major public transport projects we need to advance as well.

That’s what we are committed to, as well as demonstrating a realistic funding track, synced to what the market can actually sustain.

We’re working hard on that now and will have more to say soon.

All international evidence shows that when you have a clear pipeline, when the sector knows what’s coming next, and then what’s coming after that, when you acquire land early: that’s when you start to get the magic out of your construction sector. 

Things get cheaper. They go faster. Benefits are delivered earlier. 

And of course, when all of that happens, passengers and freight get to where they need to go faster, safer, and cheaper as well.  

This is going to be hard. Hard choices lie ahead. Not everyone is going to get what they want, exactly when they want it. 

Some roads won’t be starting for many years. 

This is not going to be easy. But it will be worth it. 

Delivering a long-term, full transport pipeline will be truly transformational for this country. 

Our economy will be better off for it, and ultimately, so will New Zealanders. 

Thank you for your time, and thank you for your work building New Zealand.

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) is giving its full support to the Pike River families, who are today calling on Parliament to strengthen the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) and urgently introduce Corporate Manslaughter laws into New Zealand legislation.

MUNZ National Secretary Carl Findlay says the cost of health and safety negligence is measured in the lives of working people.

Mr Findlay says MUNZ today marks the 15th anniversary of the Pike River tragedy remembering those who paid the ultimate price for health and safety failures.

“The Maritime Union stands with their families today in saying ‘enough is enough.’”

Mr Findlay says the history of the New Zealand waterfront, like mining and forestry, is marked by avoidable death and injury.

“Workers have been harmed where profit has been prioritised over safety, and this must stop,” Mr. Findlay says.

The Maritime Union strongly endorses the call to bolster the existing Health and Safety at Work Act while strengthening it with the addition of a Corporate Manslaughter provision.

Mr. Findlay says the prosecution of former Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson, which, despite resulting in a conviction that is under appeal, highlighted a flaw in New Zealand’s health and safety framework.

“The case of the previous CEO at Ports of Auckland shows we need laws that reflect the severity of this issue.”

“Stronger laws are the way to protect workers. When CEOs and directors face the threat of a corporate manslaughter conviction, which carries personal consequences beyond a fine for the company, it changes behaviour.”

To honour the Pike River 29, and workers from all industries, we must strengthen health and safety laws, says Mr Findlay.

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government welcomes new data showing New Zealand’s 23 Great Rides are pumping $1.28 billion a year into our local economies, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says. 

The 2025 evaluation report for the Great Rides of New Zealand – Ngā Haerenga shows visitor spending attributed to the Great Rides jumped 35 percent for the year ending June 2025, compared to the same period in 2021.

“This is a significant boost for our local tourism market. Riders are spending more on accommodation, food and hospitality, which is great news for local businesses and jobs,” Louise Upston says.

Visitor nights in nearby accommodation tallied 4.5 million in the year ending June 2025, up 25 percent from 2021 statistics.

“Since being set up by Sir John Key’s National-led Government in 2009, these figures show the appeal of our cycle trails continuing to grow and the real economic benefits they bring to regional communities.

“Higher spending on accommodation and hospitality goes hand in hand with more people using the trails. We’ve seen over 2.5 million trips recorded for the year ending June 2025, up 18 percent on 2021 figures.”

The Government puts $8 million a year from the International Visitor Levy towards the 23 Great Rides, which showcase New Zealand’s landscapes, history and culture. 

In addition to this funding, the Government has also made a number of recent investments in cycle trail infrastructure in both Ruapehu and Dunedin, with more to come.

“This data shows our Great Rides are growing in popularity with both international visitors and Kiwis, and we’re committed to ensuring they continue to attract visitors and deliver significant economic benefits,” Louise Upston says.

 

Source: New Zealand Police

The State Highway 6/Quarantine Road roundabout, Nelson, is down to one lane northbound following a crash this morning.

Police were notified of the single-vehicle crash, where a logging truck has tipped on its side, around 6:10am.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

The lane will remain blocked for some time while the vehicle is being removed.

Motorists are advised to take alternative routes where possible and expect delays.

ENDS

Source: PHARMAC

Pharmac is trialling a new process to publish provisional outcomes from advisory committee meetings within 30 business days.

Pharmac works closely with our Pharmacology and Therapeutics Committee (PTAC), specialist advisory committees and other advisory groups that make up our Expert Advisory Network to get expert advice on medicines being considered for funding and medical devices we procure.

The advisory committees have expertise in areas ranging from special foods, mental health and rheumatology to immunisations and cancer treatments. They meet as required to discuss and provide recommendations on the medicines we’re looking to fund and provide ongoing advice on issues such as supply shortages, changes for medicines we already fund and how to implement consultation feedback. 

“We know how important it is to patients, clinicians and suppliers to get this information as soon as possible. However, we also want to ensure the record accurately reflects the advice provided and this takes time. We’re working on ways to achieve this more quickly,” says acting Pharmaceuticals Manager Expert Advisory, Caroline De Luca.

“The information being discussed is highly technical and it’s important that we reflect that discussion accurately.”.

To improve timeliness, Pharmac is trialling a new process where the provisional recommendations of a meeting are published sooner, while the review process for the full record is underway.  

“Sharing the provisional outcome of the meeting sooner does not directly impact funding timeframes,” says De Luca. “But it does mean you will know if a medicine is likely to be assessed and prioritised for funding much sooner.”

In some cases, the person or supplier that applied to have a medicine considered for funding may request that provisional recommendations are withheld until the full meeting record is available.

“Expert advice plays a key role in determining which medicines Pharmac assesses and informs how each medicine is ranked on the options for investment list,” says De Luca.

“We know patients and clinicians waiting for medicines to be funded want to know these recommendations sooner, and it helps suppliers plan too. We’ve been encouraged by the positive response to this trial so far.

This pilot is part of Pharmac’s work to increase transparency. A review will be undertaken at the end of this year, and feedback received will help inform improvements. We would love to hear from you. Please send your feedback to enquiries@pharmac.govt.nz

Source: New Zealand Government

Mr President, colleagues.

Tēnā koutou katoa. It is an honour to address you today on behalf of New Zealand.

When the Paris Agreement was adopted ten years ago, Parties committed to goals that limit the impacts of climate change on lives and livelihoods.

Ten years on, we have seen significant progress, and we are firmly in the era of implementation. 

But we need to press forward, and we must keep 1.5 alive. 

Mr President, New Zealand is committed.

We were one of the first eight countries in the world to have submitted a second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), that is ambitious, achievable, informed by the Global Stocktake, and in accordance with Paris Agreement rules. 

We are committed to transparency arrangements, which are critical to mutual trust.

And we provide high-quality, grants-based, accessible, partner-responsive climate support, with over half going to adaptation action.

We urge all Parties to follow suit and implement. All Parties must submit NDCs that reflect the urgency of the movement, and all Parties with the capacity to do so must provide support to those who need it most.

We recognise economies are under strain, but every step of progress helps us maintain momentum.

Mr President, the Blue Pacific Continent has long led the world with its climate ambition.

In the Pacific, climate change is not a distant threat; it is a lived reality.

Next year, COP31 in the Pacific would be an opportunity to deliver global climate solutions, built on the experience of some of those on the front lines.

New Zealand proudly supports Australia’s commitment to host COP31 in partnership with the Pacific and calls on others to confirm their support. 

Mr President, a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy is central to economic prosperity. 

New Zealand is accelerating the deployment of renewable energy at a faster pace than ever before. 

In October, we saw weeks where our electricity was 98% renewable. We have commissioned more renewable generation in the last 18 months than in the previous 15 years, helping us double that capacity by 2050.

Our farmers are among the most carbon-efficient globally, and we are leading in agricultural innovation.

Our Emissions Trading Scheme is one of the most comprehensive globally.

And in the last month, we agreed to legislate a climate adaptation framework to address long-term strategic factors, including clear roles, investment in risk reduction, and cost-sharing. This is one of the world’s first of its kind.

Mr President, the response to climate change must be inclusive and supportive of all voices and leadership, as we cannot solve this challenge alone.

I am proud that a delegation of New Zealand’s young Māori leaders is here at COP30 – sharing their stories and commitment to action.

Mr President, you introduced us to ‘mutirao’, which speaks to the shared work that builds up our people.

This resonates with us. New Zealand – our young people, business, and civil society – stand ready to partner with all Parties to take action: at home, in the Pacific, and globally.

Thank you.

Source: PHARMAC

In September Natalie McMurtry joined Pharmac as our new Chief Executive. We spoke with her about her background, what drew her to Pharmac, and what she hopes to achieve in her new role.

“I’m honoured to be Pharmac’s new Chief Executive and excited to be part of an organisation that plays such an important role in the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders,” says McMurtry.

McMurtry brings over 25 years of experience as a front-line clinician and senior health leader in Canada. She began her career as a paediatric critical care pharmacist before moving into strategic and operational leadership roles across Alberta’s health system – including responsibility for Alberta’s public drug program. Her governance experience includes serving on the boards of Canada’s Drug Agency and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

“While every country’s health system is unique, the fundamentals remain the same – people need access to medicines to help them stay well,” she says.

“Throughout my career, I’ve focused on improving access to quality health care, including medicines, and ensuring that patients and their families are at the centre of decision-making.

“Joining Pharmac offered a unique opportunity to draw on my health leadership experience and contribute to an organisation resetting its focus to be more patient-centred and outward-looking.”

McMurtry describes her leadership style as upfront, transparent and empathetic. In her first few months, she’s been focused on listening and learning – meeting with staff, patients and their advocates, suppliers, Pharmac’s Board, the Minister of Health, and other key partners across the health system.

“I want Pharmac to be seen as an organisation that has the backs of patients and their families,” she says. “We need to be transparent and inclusive – and that means listening to people with lived experience and working in partnership with the wider health system.”

McMurtry has prioritised connecting with those most affected by Pharmac’s decisions. In October she attended the Valuing Life: New Zealand Medicines Access Summit – an early opportunity to meet with suppliers and consumers – and the monthly consumer update forum, where patient advocates engage directly with senior leaders, ask questions, and share their perspectives.

She has also been meeting with Pharmac’s Consumer and Patient Working Group and the Consumer Advisory Committee, both of which provide valuable lived experience to inform Pharmac’s work.

Looking ahead, McMurtry says she is excited about the opportunities and is focused on leading Pharmac in a collaborative and people-centred way.

“We have a talented and passionate team here,” she says. “I’m looking forward to supporting them and helping Pharmac continue to grow as a trusted and responsive organisation.”

Pharmac’s Board Chair, Paula Bennett, said of McMurtry’s appointment:

“Natalie stands out as a leader who is very experienced, empathetic, capable and determined. She has known the Pharmac model for years from afar and jumped at the opportunity to lead this wonderful organisation. She is a very considered person who respects and values our people.”

Source: PHARMAC

The Medicines Access Summit was a great opportunity to hear first-hand from patient advocates, suppliers, clinicians and others and make connections, says Pharmac Chief Executive, Natalie McMurtry.

“I was really pleased to be able to attend the summit in October, alongside our Board Chair Hon Paula Bennett as well as three other board members, our Senior Leadership Team and several other staff.”

Hosted by the Associate Minister of Health, Hon David Seymour, and aiming to address critical issues in medicine access the summit brought together a wide range of stakeholders including patient advocates, clinicians, health officials, suppliers, academics and politicians.

Some of the key themes were:

• How New Zealand can sustainably fund access to an increasing number of modern medicines in a publicly funded health system.
• How can Pharmac bring greater transparency and understanding around our processes and the decisions we make.
• How we could enhance Pharmac’s decision-making, prioritisation, funding policies, and processes in the face of rising demand for modern medicines.
• Current legislative reform underway (Pae Ora, Medicines amendment bill) and how we might modernise Pharmac’s statutory functions.

“I’d like to acknowledge the incredible amount of work Dr Malcolm Mulholland, Patient Voice Aotearoa and Medicines New Zealand put into organising this event. Rachel Smalley also did a wonderful job as MC,” McMurtry says. Mulholland and Smalley are members of Pharmac’s Consumer and Patient Working Group, as Chair and Deputy Chair.

“The constructive conversations held over the two days were invaluable. Many different voices at the summit all came together with a shared goal – improving access to medicines for all New Zealanders.”

Source: PHARMAC

Pharmac’s Consumer and Patient Working Group, in collaboration with Pharmac staff, has successfully completed the first 90-day action plan of the 12-month Reset Programme.

The Reset Programme is the first phase of Pharmac’s five-year improvement journey, focused on delivering meaningful change for consumers and patients, while laying the groundwork for long-term reform.

“The reset programme supports Pharmac to be a more outward-focussed and transparent organisation that values and actively engages with consumers and stakeholders, we’re focused on putting patients and their families at the centre of everything we do,” says Pharmac Chief Executive, Natalie McMurtry.

The first 90-day plan, which ran from 1 July to 30 September 2025, began with the appointment of a 10-member Consumer and Patient Working Group, chaired by patient advocate Dr Malcolm Mulholland. Four key actions were completed: