NZ Engine

Source: PHARMAC

The Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ) is the leading industry body representing medical technology manufacturers, importers and distributors of medical devices in New Zealand. HealthTech Week is New Zealand’s national conference for health technology industry and research.

“It was fantastic to have such a strong presence at HealthTech week this year,” says Pharmac’s Director Medical Devices, Catherine Epps.

Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Health – Pharmac, David Seymour, gave the opening address, followed shortly afterwards by Pharmac’s Board Chair Paula Bennett, who spoke about her work as Board chair of Pharmac and vision for the organisation

Catherine Epps then provided an update on the progress of Pharmac’s medical devices programme.

“It was great to be able to share the significant progress that we’ve made on the comprehensive list of medical devices,” she says.

New Zealand’s first ever nationwide list of medical devices, effective from 1 July, will support better patient care and long-term investments in medical devices.

This list represents medical devices that are used in hospitals or provided to people to use at home.

“Having a comprehensive list of what is used will support the health system to make more strategic, long-term investments in medical devices,” Epps says.

HealthTech week provided a great opportunity for Pharmac staff to meet with suppliers, hear their questions, and share more about our work.  

“It’s essential that Pharmac’s medical devices programme is informed by those who work with medical devices every day – whether that’s clinicians, suppliers, consumers, advocates, or other industry partners,” says Epps.

 “We couldn’t have success in this programme without working together with many others,” she says.

Source: PHARMAC

“The recent external reviews have highlighted the need for Pharmac to continue evolving into a more outward-focused and transparent organisation,” says Pharmac’s Director Strategy, Policy & Performance Michael Johnson.

A five-year change programme commenced on 1 July. It will occur in two phases, starting with an initial 12-month reset.

“While some changes can be made quickly, other changes will take longer to make. In the first 12 months, we want to focus on making improvements that benefit consumers, and lay strong foundations for the future change work”, he says.

A working group, made up of patient advocates and consumer representatives, is being established to support the development and delivery of the reset programme.  This supports recommendations from the Consumer Engagement Workshop Report released in March 2025.

“This group will provide insight, lived experience, and practical advice to ensure that the reset programme is designed in a way that reflects the needs, values, and perspectives of consumers,” says Johnson.

Patient advocate Dr Malcolm Mulholland has been elected by the consumer and patient community as the Chair of this group.

Dr Mulholland said, “We’ve waited a long time for this opportunity.  The work that Pharmac does is vitally important for the health of patients and their families, and this is why getting Pharmac to work as well as it can, will be the focus of the working group.”

Consumer and Patient Working Group

Source: PHARMAC

“We originally estimated that the uplift would allow us to fund around 54 medicines – 26 for cancer and 28 for other conditions – benefiting about 175,000 New Zealanders,” says Geraldine MacGibbon, Director Pharmaceuticals.

Pharmac has used the increase to fund 66 medicines – 33 for cancer conditions and 33 for non-cancer conditions. In the first year of funding, nearly 250,000 New Zealanders will benefit from these medicines.

“These medicines are making a real difference in people’s lives,” says MacGibbon.

“They’re helping New Zealanders manage a wide range of health conditions – from cancer and heart failure to osteoporosis and schizophrenia.”

For example, about 580 people are expected to benefit from aripiprazole depot injection, used to treat schizophrenia. This medicine works by correcting chemical imbalances in the brain and can reduce the risk of schizophrenia symptoms coming back.

Having access to the medicine denosumab will help 1,900 people with osteoporosis to live healthier lives.

“We heard from people living with osteoporosis that this medicine helps reduce the risk of fractures and supports them to stay active in their communities,” MacGibbon says.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was one of the first medicines funded through the budget increase.  It’s now available for people with several types of cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma.

“Access to these medicines will slow down the progression of these cancers and improve survival, so that people have more valuable time with their whānau and friends,” MacGibbon says.

For 18,000 New Zealanders living with chronic heart failure, access to the heart medicine empagliflozin can reduce the risk of needing to be hospitalised, protect their heart, and reduce the risk of kidney failure.

People with severe eczema also now have access to upadacitinib to help manage their condition. Upadacitinib is a medicine that supresses immune and inflammatory processes in eczema and provides a treatment option for those with severe disease.

“These are just a few of the life-changing treatments that we’ve been able to fund using the budget increase,” says MacGibbon.

Looking ahead, while there was no additional increase to the medicines budget in 2025, Pharmac will continue to fund new medicines through its usual funding and savings activities. These tools allow Pharmac to keep funding and widening access to medicines that make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders.

Source: PHARMAC

These organisations represent people and communities with lived experience of health conditions. They help to make sure that these voices are heard and considered in Pharmac’s decision-making.

“We want to make sure these groups can hear directly from our senior leadership about the progress we are making on key initiatives, and that they have the opportunity to ask us questions and give us feedback,” says Pharmac’s Director Equity and Engagement, Dr Nicola Ngawati.

“It’s really important that the voices of the people these groups represent are heard when we make decisions,” she says.

“We know many of these advocates are busy, so we appreciate them taking the time to meet with us each month. We’ve been encouraged by the feedback we’ve received so far, but we’ll continue to adapt so that these meetings are helpful and relevant for people who attend.” 

Source: PHARMAC

“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.

Source: New Zealand Government

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.

Source: New Zealand Government

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. 

Source: New Zealand Government

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. 

Source: Press Release Service

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The post Hacking the Economic Downturn : Killing It Online in 2025 first appeared on PR.co.nz.

Source: New Zealand Government

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.”