“Right now, our decision-making framework—the Factors for Consideration—looks at how a medicine affects the person who needs it, their whānau, and the health system,” says Dr David Hughes, Pharmac’s Director of Advice and Assessment
Like countries such as Australia, Canada, and the UK, our economic evaluations focus on the health system perspective. That means we look at how well a medicine works and what it will cost the health system in New Zealand.
But there are other ways to look at the value of funding a medicine – for example, through a societal lens.
“Medicines can have an impact on New Zealanders well beyond the hospital room. They can help people stay in work, reduce the need for unpaid care, and ease financial pressure on families,” says Dr Hughes.
To begin exploring this idea, Pharmac partnered with researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands last year and is now working with the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA) at Erasmus University – world leaders of the ‘societal perspective.’
Their pilot study showed that using a societal perspective can change how New Zealand values medicines. Greater value was identified for treatments for chronic conditions affecting working-age people, for example, when broader impacts were considered.
Pharmac is now commissioning two more assessments from iMTA. The Erasmus team will also train Pharmac staff to apply this approach in future assessments.
Pharmac has also been talking with the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA) to share perspectives on measuring societal impacts. At the same time, the CDA has been piloting its own assessment of an expanded societal perspective.
“We’re building our capability to see what it would look like if our assessments reflect the value of medicines not just to the health system, but to the whole of society,” says Dr Hughes.
The Government is investing $24 million in smart, practical science that will help New Zealanders live healthier lives and support the development of sustainable food industries.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti today announced two major research programmes in partnership with Singapore, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) tools for healthy ageing and biotechnology for future food production.
“Science and innovation are critical to building a high-growth, high-value economy. That’s why we’re investing in research with a clear line of sight to commercial outcomes and real public benefit,” Dr Reti says.
“This Government is focused on backing the technologies that will deliver real-world results for New Zealanders – not just in the lab, but in our hospitals, homes, and businesses.
“Whether it’s supporting older Kiwis to live well for longer or developing smarter food production systems, these projects are about practical applications of advanced science to solve problems and grow our economy.”
Funded through the Catalyst Fund, designed to facilitate international collaboration, the investment will support seven joint research projects over the next three years, deepening New Zealand’s research ties with Singapore and building capability in AI and biotechnology.
The AI programme, delivered alongside AI Singapore, directly supports the Government’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy – a plan to use AI to safely and effectively boost productivity and deliver better public services.
“Our AI Strategy is about encouraging the uptake of AI to improve productivity and realise its potential to deliver faster, smarter, and more personalised services, including in healthcare,” says Dr Reti.
“These projects will help develop tools that support clinicians and improve care for our ageing population. Our collaboration with Singapore, a country well advanced in their use and development of AI, will help grow Kiwi capability to explore future practical uses of AI.”
The biotechnology programme will focus on turning scientific research into scalable food solutions, including alternative proteins and new food ingredients, in partnership with Singapore’s A*STAR.
“These partnerships are about future-proofing our economy and our communities — tackling global challenges with New Zealand science at the forefront,” Dr Reti says.
Notes to the Editor:
The Leveraging AI for Health Ageing programme will partner with AI Singapore (AISG) and will fund three projects which apply AI to improve health outcomes for older adults, particularly in cognitive health and personalised care:
AI-Assisted interRAI Assessment– University of Otago will enhance aged care assessments by integrating AI to improve efficiency and personalisation.
AI-Driven Risk Score for Dementia– University of Auckland will build an AI tool to help clinicians identify individuals at high risk of progressing to dementia.
AI-Augmented Cognitive Health Monitoring– Victoria University of Wellington will develop a remote monitoring platform using speech analysis, cognitive games, and caregiver input.
The Biotech in Future Food Research Programme will partner with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and fund four groundbreaking projects:
Algae-Based Future Foods– Cawthron Institute will develop processing methods for two algae species suited to commercial development in both countries.
Hybrid Meat Production– University of Canterbury will design a novel, scalable approach to producing affordable hybrid meat.
Bio-Fermented Functional Foods– University of Auckland will create next-generation food ingredients from bacterial cellulose and mushroom mycelium.
Black Soldier Fly Bioproducts– Scion will explore the use of insect larvae to develop bioactive compounds and protein sources for human and animal nutrition.
Better, and more, training to help staff support in family and sexual violence responses are being rolled out across frontline services, with the goal of reaching 10,000 workers in the next two years.
Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says, “this will ensure victim-survivors receive best practice support, and will empower staff to safely recognise, refer, and respond to family and sexual violence.”
“This training is an important part of our response to family and sexual violence. I am proud of our progress against the second Te Aorerekura Action Plan, it shows the benefits of a multi-agency response and the dedication of government departments to best supporting victim-survivors.”
Other progress against the Action Plan includes:
The Ministry of Justice has delivered training to over 800 members of its court-related workforce. Ongoing training is expected to reach up to 500 people per year.
The Department of Corrections has given essential-level family violence training to more than 4,700 of its staff.
In 2024, Police redesigned the course for new recruits to include two weeks’ family violence training. Over 550 Police recruits received training in that first year, and over 850 recruits are expected to receive training by the end of 2025.
“The Action Plan sets out a number of key actions to be achieved, including training 10,000 frontline workers in family violence and sexual violence over two years.
“These goals are bold. Achieving them will require strong cross-agency collaboration and re-enforced commitment to this focus area as a priority.
“This boldness is needed to improve the support provided to victim-survivors and will empower these frontline workers to undertake their roles with the greatest care,” says Mrs Chhour.
The Government is overhauling outdated and unsustainable electoral laws including stopping same-day enrolment, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“Allowing late enrolments, however well intentioned, has placed too much strain on the system. The final vote count used to take two weeks, last election it took three.
“If we leave things as they are, it could well take even longer in future elections. The 20-day timeframe for a final result will likely already be challenging to achieve at the next election without changes.
“Therefore, the Government has agreed to close enrolment before advance voting begins. People will need to make sure they enrol or update their enrolment details by midnight on the Sunday, before advance voting opens on Monday morning.
“This is a significant, but necessary change. The Electoral Commission will have plenty of time to run an education campaign to ensure people understand the new requirements. For Australia’s federal election earlier this year, the enrolment deadline was 26 days before election day. I have every confidence New Zealand can manage within the 13-day deadline.
“We’ve also agreed to a range of other changes, including creating a new offence to strengthen the rules around treating near voting places. There has been some confusion in the past around what is and isn’t treating. This will make the rules crystal clear.
“The donation threshold for reporting the names of party donors is also being adjusted from $5,000 to $6,000, to account for inflation.”
Key changes include:
Closing enrolment 13 days before election day to reduce pressure on post-election timeframes.
Requiring 12 days of advance voting at each election.
Introducing automatic enrolment updates so the Electoral Commission can update people’s enrolment details using data from other government agencies.
Enabling greater use of digital communication by removing postal requirements for enrolment.
Creating a new offence that prohibits the provision of free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres of a voting place while voting is taking place. It will be punishable by a fine of up to $10,000.
Reinstating a total ban on prisoner voting.
The Bill makes a wide range of other changes including:
Enabling special vote processing to begin earlier.
Increasing the Electoral Commission’s board from three to up to seven members.
Setting a single deadline for all candidate nominations.
Changing party registration requirements and timeframes.
Providing flexibility on the contact details that can be included in promoter statements.
The Government is progressing a separate bill to amend the Constitution Act 1986 to ensure the continuity of executive government in the post-election period.
Headline: Hacking the Economic Downturn : Killing It Online in 2025
In 2025, New Zealand businesses with strong, search-optimised websites are growing despite economic challenges. Agencies like The Web Guys show that good SEO and user-friendly design are key to online success.
The Government is ensuring more parents have choice with their child’s education, delivering a $30 million investment package to deliver roll growth classrooms across the state-integrated school network.
“State-integrated schools are an important part of our education system. It’s clear they are experiencing similar growth pressures to the state network and need support to meet this demand. We are making sure they have the resources to support and grow alongside their communities,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
The $30 million investment will be phased equally over the next four years and is expected to deliver up to 1,250 new student places for students whose families choose state-integrated schooling. It is more than five times the value of the previous government’s investment
The classrooms will be delivered through a combination of cost-effective repeatable designs and offsite manufactured buildings, so funding can go further, and more students benefit. Schools will be able to apply in the coming weeks.
“This Government is committed to providing parents with choice and high-quality schooling options for their children’s education. With this funding, integrated schools will be able to expand, giving students and teachers the spaces they need to thrive,” Ms Stanford said.”
A new digital model of care is transforming how heart failure is managed in Hawke’s Bay, delivering faster treatment, fewer hospital visits, and better outcomes for patients, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
“This Government is focused on practical, patient-centred improvements to healthcare,” Mr Brown says.
“Instead of long waits, repeated hospital visits, and lengthy travel for more remote patients, people are now receiving tailored, home-based care that’s faster, safer, and more effective.”
The remote patient monitoring pathway supports people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction – a condition where the heart does not pump blood as it should. A key part of treatment is titration – the process of slowly adjusting medication doses to the safest and most effective level, based on how a patient responds.
“Traditionally, this requires frequent in-person appointments and can take many months. This new approach means patients can be safely monitored and have their medications adjusted from home.”
The service uses hospital-supplied smart kits, including a tablet, scales, blood pressure cuff, and pulse oximeter, so patients can check their vital signs daily and connect with clinicians via regular video consults.
“This is about delivering more care, closer to home. Instead of travelling in for every check-up or medication change, patients can be supported where they’re most comfortable, while more frequent monitoring is enabling health professionals to step in more quickly if anything changes.”
Results show clear improvements:
Hospital readmissions within 30 days have dropped to zero, from a previous rate of 25 per cent
Appointment attendance has improved, with no missed appointments compared to a previous 15.3 per cent no-show rate
Medication titration now takes 6 – 8 weeks, a substantial reduction from the previous 6 – 8 months
Increased capacity for clinical teams, enabling more patients to receive timely care
“Under the old pathway, it could take up to nine months for patients to reach the right combination of medications. The new pathway is accelerating access to care, reducing hospitalisations, and making it possible for more patients to be seen and receive the care they need.
“This is a smart, patient-focused solution that’s delivering real results for patients with heart failure in Hawke’s Bay,” Mr Brown says.
Tāwhaki Joint Venture’s crucial role in the Government’s drive to grow our space and advanced aviation sectors has received a $5.85 million boost, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today.
“These are rapidly growing sectors, with space alone growing 53 percent in the five years to 2024, contributing $2.47 billion to the economy in 2023-24,” Ms Collins says.
“The Government sees space and advanced aviation as having huge economic potential, and that’s why we’re working towards delivering a world-class regulatory environment for advanced aviation by the end of this year, as signalled less than a year ago.
“The first step towards this was Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre being allocated permanent Special Use Airspace – essentially a test flight area that gives advanced aviation companies the freedom to safely trial next-generation technologies.
“Already companies such as Kea Aerospace, Syos and Dawn Aerospace are using Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre for test flights,” Ms Collins says.
“The Crown’s $5.85 million in operational funding over the next three years will support the Tāwhaki Joint Venture to grow its role as a national aerospace centre and innovation hub.
“This funding will help it scale up aerospace operations, attract new customers, and strengthen New Zealand’s position in the global advanced aviation sector.”
Tāwhaki was established in 2021 by the Crown and two Rūnanga, Te Taumutu and Wairewa, and has established key infrastructure at Canterbury’s Kaitorete Spit, including a sealed runway and hangar.
“The operational funding takes the Crown investment in Tāwhaki to more than $35 million, with this latest phase aimed at ensuring the venture continues to grow, attract commercial operators and deliver long-term value for the region and the country.”
The Government is revoking 2023 regulations requiring all vaping devices to have removeable batteries to resolve a current court challenge brought by Mason Corporation Limited.
“Cabinet was advised that taking this step was the best way to resolve the case,” Associate Health Minister Casey Costello says.
“This decision means the proceedings, which relate to regulations brought in by the Labour government, can be withdrawn.”
The changes will be gazetted today and take effect from 1 September. From that date vaping devices will not be required to have a removeable battery.
“It is not expected that the revocation will negatively impact our falling smoking or vaping rates,” Ms Costello says.
“This Government legislated to ban disposable vapes, which have been the most popular products among young people, and these are now off the market.”
Corbies Creek, Canterbury, showing the exclusion barrier (left) and a DOC team removing weeds to improve longjaw habitat. Photo: Sjaan Bowie/DOC.
About this time last year, a group of DOC rangers and scientists set out from Twizel for a regular check of a population of threatened fish in nearby Corbies Creek. It was a beautiful day. Soon after getting their gear in the water, they realised something was very wrong. Where were all the fish? Only a year ago they’d found more than 100 in a 25m stretch, but there were hardly any there now.
Corbies Creek, along with just a few other small streams in Canterbury, is a refuge for native lowland longjaw galaxias. If we lost them from here, they’d be gone from everywhere. Sleek, pencil-thin and exquisitely camouflaged, their pale-yellow skin is dusted with brown and silver flecks. Adults rarely grow longer than 80 mm.
Lowland longjaw galaxias. Photo: P Ravenscroft/DOC.
Longjaws are one of New Zealand’s river-resident galaxiid species that live their entire lives in a single waterway. All river-resident galaxiids are vulnerable to being eaten or displaced by larger fish. Some, including longjaws, can’t share habitat with any bigger fish. To safeguard this population, an exclusion barrier has been built to stop predatory trout and kōaro from swimming up into their habitat.
So how had two brown trout – the cause of the drastic decline at Corbies Creek – got up there? Sjaan Bowie, DOC senior freshwater technical advisor, thinks the trout were carried across a paddock from a nearby waterway, in a particularly high flood event a few months earlier.
Rest assured the trout were quicky removed and the longjaws are bouncing back.
“We’re pleased to report that monitoring in March this year found numbers had risen from just 12 to more than 50 fish, and no more trout have been seen upstream of the barrier.”
Limited tools available – innovations welcome
Sjaan says this near-miss extinction of longjaws in Corbies Creek shows that more management tools will be needed to protect our freshwater fish in the future.
“What we’re doing generally works fine for small streams under current climatic conditions. But with increasing temperatures, we’re seeing trout head further inland looking for cooler water. More severe weather is also causing bigger floods and longer droughts. This combination increases the risk of trout making it past barriers or accidentally getting into threatened fish habitat, as we saw in Corbies Creek.”
Flooding can overtop fish barriers and put native species at risk. Photo: Dean Nelson/DOC.
She highlights the need for better technology – both for remote monitoring of populations and to protect larger areas.
“We’re looking at remote water level monitoring, so we’d get a warning ‘ping’ and could go and check if a barrier had been breached or there was an overland flow. There’s also a need to protect more and larger areas to prevent individual populations becoming genetically isolated.
“A fish exclusion barrier that works in larger rivers or low gradient streams without backing up the flow and creating a pool, would also make a big difference to the ongoing survival of these species. If anyone has bright ideas about how to build something like that, we’d really love to hear from you.”
Sjaan says the same issues are faced in fish conservation around the world, so any solutions we created here could be used internationally.
Regardless, future work to secure our river-resident galaxiids is likely to include building exclusion barriers in new streams and moving current barriers downstream. Other tools like captive breeding and translocations into protected areas are also likely to be necessary.
An exclusion barrier in Omarama Spring protects an important population of non-migratory galaxiids. Photo: Sjaan Bowie/DOC.
Let them through – migratory fish need to move
Managing the other group of New Zealand’s native fish couldn’t be more different. It’s vital for these species to be able to move up and down waterways and get to and from the sea to complete their lifecycles. In this group of migratory species are eels, bullies and the fish we collectively known as whitebait – the juveniles of īnanga, kōaro and banded, giant and shortjaw kōkopu.
The strongest swimmers of the group move the furthest inland. Kōaro stand out as best in class as they can climb near-vertical walls. Īnanga are the most challenged by inclines, jumps, rapids and fast flows, and tend to stay in flatter areas near the coast.
Human-built structures in waterways can present swimming challenges. Conservation work for migratory species therefore includes identifying, fixing or removing barriers like poorly designed or unmaintained culverts, fords, dams and weirs.
As part of her role, Sjaan advocates for better fish passage. She’s helped develop and update fish passage guidelines and resources, given dozens of seminars about best practice, offered advice and support to others, and coordinated the New Zealand Fish Passage Advisory Group.
“We can make a real difference for migratory fish by removing barriers. Yes, we can plant trees and improve habitat but if we can take out something that’s stopping migration, the benefit is immediate. It means the fish aren’t slowed down or stopped in their migration and allows them to get to natural habitat upstream to grow and mature.”
Researching ways to fix impassable culverts
Sjaan Bowie setting up a net to capture and count fish that made it up a ramp and through the culvert. Photo: Nixie Boddy/DOC.
Culverts are a big issue. There are hundreds of thousands of them around the country and some hinder or block fish passage by creating overhangs or impassably fast flows.
Sjaan and her colleagues have been testing different retrofitted baffles and ramps to see how well they help fish move up and through culverts.
“We couldn’t find a lab that was big enough, so we chose some barriers in waterways on the South Island’s West Coast. It has high rainfall, lots of culverts and an abundance of fish.
“It looks like these fixes can be used to improve passage for some species under certain conditions, but not for all species. They may be best considered as a temporary solution. Final results will indicate when they improved passage, and allow us to offer better guidance on installation, monitoring and maintenance of these fixes.”
Brittany Earl, freshwater ranger (left) and Nixie Boddy measuring post-trial fish before releasing them back into Hodson Stream. Photo: Sjaan Bowie/DOC.
Sjaan says if there’s a structure that’s restricting fish passage, the best option is always to remove it. “If that’s not possible we need to consider replacing or fixing it permanently.”
Spectacular success at Te Pouaruhe wetland, Wairarapa
Our work with the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands project restored fish passage to Te Pouaruhe wetland in early 2022 – using a large digger.
The area was drained for agriculture in the 1940s and separated from Lake Ōnoke by a stopbank and two culverts. One of the culverts had a flap gate that severely limited fish access to the wetland from the lake and the sea. The digger removed the culverts and made two breaks in the stopbank that now provide free passage up and downstream.
Before and after fish surveys in 2019 and 2023 found huge differences in the number and range of species present. Īnanga and common bullies were found at every sampling site in 2023 and in large numbers at most sites. At one site, the number of īnanga rose from 339 to 1563 after fish passage was restored.
Challenges to fix ford in lower Waipoua River, Northland
This ford across the Waipoua River was built to provide access for mana whenua (local residents) and commercial forestry vehicles.
It’s a significant barrier to fish passage because of a drop off downstream and culverts inside the ford that accelerate the flow. Installing four fish ramps has helped, but a permanent solution is still needed.
“Having a barrier 5 km from the sea restricts or prevents fish access to around 100 km of beautiful stream habitat in kauri forest”, says Sjaan. “Improving fish passage there would make a big difference for many species, including threatened shortjaw kōkopu.”
Fixing the ford is a priority for Te iwi o Te Roroa and DOC and options, including a fish bypass or replacement bridge, are being looked at.
This ford across Waipoua River hinders fish passage for several species despite the installation of floating fish ramps. Photo Sarah Wilcox/DOC.
Progress to celebrate and some lessons learned
Reflecting on progress in the last 10 years, Sjaan is pleased to have national guidelines, improved policy and new tools in place.
“The Fish Passage Assessment Tool is one way that anyone can record instream structures and assess the risk they pose to fish passage. The tool has contributed to a database of more than 150,000 structures nationwide that are being prioritised and ticked off.
“It’s been exciting to see councils such as Northland, Taranaki and West Coast, as well as other organisations, taking action to remove barriers and put in some good fixes to open up habitat for fish.”
Wairau Stream after work by New Plymouth District Council to remove a culvert that was hindering fish passage. Photo: New Plymouth District Council.
Sjaan says instream structures always have at least a dual purpose – to transport water and allow fish to move – and both are important to consider.
“One stand-out lesson for me though is the benefit of oversizing and embedding culverts. They will be long-lasting, stand up to floods, and provide good fish passage.”
