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Health – Living with advanced prostate cancer: roadshow highlights treatment advances – and access challenges for Kiwi men
Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation
The Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand (PCFNZ) is hitting the road this November, with a six-centre programme aimed at helping men living with advanced prostate cancer, and their families, better understand new and emerging options that are improving outcomes, and quality of life.
The Living with Advanced Prostate Cancer: Patient Information Series kicks off in Tauranga (11 Nov), followed by Hamilton (12 Nov), Auckland (13 Nov), Dunedin (18 Nov), Christchurch (19 Nov) and Wellington (20 Nov), and all are FREE to attend.
“Systemic therapy, radiotherapy, theranostics, imaging and new research discoveries over the past decade have transformed outcomes and quality of life for those living with the challenges of metastatic prostate cancer, yet understanding of what they are, how they co-exist, and fit within treatment pathways is still not widespread,” says Peter Dickens, Chief Executive, PCFNZ.
With the assistance of local oncology specialists and nurses, the events will explore this further, and allow health professionals, patients, and whānau to join the conversation and stay informed about the evolving treatment landscape for advanced prostate cancer in New Zealand.
The roadshow takes place against a bleak backdrop for those accessing care for advanced prostate cancer in our public health system. Many of the treatments that will be discussed are only available when sourced privately at costs running in some cases to hundreds of thousands of dollars for patients and families.
“Prostate cancer is now NZ's most diagnosed internal cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men, and yet there has not been a new medicine funded by Pharmac to treat the disease in over 10 years” says Dickens.
“NZ is at the very bottom of the OECD rankings when it comes to medicines funding, behind many demonstrably poorer countries. NZ men are having their lives unnecessarily cut short because of the failure of successive NZ governments to devise and fund a medicines policy fit for purpose for all in our country. This must change.”
ChildFund – ‘We make no apology for offending you’
Source: ChildFund New Zealand
ChildFund New Zealand has launched two campaigns that some find confronting – Deadly Weapon and Her First Sip.
“We make no apology for offending you. We agree that people should feel shocked and outraged. Children are dying from drinking contaminated water in our region of the Pacific – and this is entirely preventable,” says ChildFund NZ CEO, Josie Pagani.
The ‘Deadly Weapon’ campaign shows a Pacific child pointing a water gun at the camera.
The ‘Her First Sip’ campaign shows a baby drinking water from a sipper bottle that could be poisoning her. It draws on a fear familiar to many mothers in parts of the Pacific – the fear that when a baby moves from breast to bottle, their first sip could be their last.
“Imagine facing that possibility” adds Pagani.
Five million people in the Pacific still lack access to clean drinking water.
In the Solomon Islands, approximately one in fourteen deaths of children under five is linked to diarrhoea, caused primarily by dirty water and poor sanitation.
Only 16 percent of schoolchildren have access to clean, safe water.
Thirty percent of children under five in the Solomon Islands suffer from stunting, meaning their bodies and brains cannot fully develop due to poor nutrition and contaminated water. This is one of the highest rates in the world.
In Kiribati, one in ten deaths of children under five is linked to diarrhoea, and only 27 percent of households have access to clean, safe water.
“The challenges are different in each community – but they are always solvable, and the solutions are cost-effective,” says Pagani.
In the remote Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands, ChildFund NZ is working with local partner Greenergy to rebuild a water pump that will serve 3,000 people.
The local ChildFund Kiribati team is installing desalination units to turn seawater into drinking water.
“New Zealand parents take it for granted that we can fill our children’s bottles with clean water from the tap and send them to school. In some parts of the Pacific, children miss school because they must walk for hours to collect clean water,” says Pagani.
ChildFund NZ's partner in the Solomon Islands, Greenergy, knows the risks better than anyone.
“One day my six-year-old niece was in school,” says Sharon Inone, a mother and CEO of Greenergy. “The next, she was gone. Dysentery took her life before anyone could help.”
“We want New Zealanders to be as desperate as we are to prevent these deaths. We can stop children dying now,” says Pagani.
Health and Politics – Minister must protect the Nursing Council – NZNO
Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation
The Minister of Health must protect the integrity of the Nursing Council as the regulator for registered nurses, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
The call follows an announcement by the Education Minister Erica Stanford that professional standard setting functions for teachers will be moved from the Teaching Council to the Ministry of Education. The Council will also be reduced from 13 to about seven to nine members with the number of elected teacher representatives halved.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says Simeon Brown must reassure nurses that the Government doesn’t have similar plans for the Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa Nursing Council of New Zealand.
“The Nursing Council has a similar make-up to the Teaching Council. It performs invaluable functions such as registering nurses, setting scopes of practice, hearing complaints and setting ongoing competency requirements.
“It’s integrity and functions must be protected. It is also vital that elected nurses remain on the Nursing Council.
“The Coalition Government has form here after Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brook van Velden removed worker representation from the WorkSafe board,” she says.
The changes come at a time when the scope of nurses and nurse practitioners is being threatened by proposed changes to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act, Kerri Nuku says.
“The Health Minister says he values nurses. But the work of nurses’ risks being undermined by the introduction of an anaesthetic technician workforce and the scope of nurse practitioners’ risks being undermined by the introduction of physician associates,” she says.
Transporting New Zealand supports changes to WoFs
Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Transporting New Zealand is endorsing proposals from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to reduce the Warrant of Fitness (WoF) frequency for light vehicles, and the CoF A frequency for late-model rental vehicles.
NZTA is currently consulting on reducing the inspection frequency, as well as expanding the scope of the inspection to include checking that Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are working.
“While heavy vehicles are our members’ bread and butter, many also have light vehicles in their fleet,” says Transporting New Zealand Policy & Advocacy Advisor Mark Stockdale. Transporting New Zealand also represents 70 light-vehicle transport companies including trade firms, as part of its membership of over 1,000 transport operators.
“These proposals bring New Zealand more into line with common practice in many other countries, where inspecting vehicles only once every two years is the norm.”
NZTA is proposing that new light vehicles would have their first WoF issued for 4 years (currently 3), while vehicles aged 4-10 years would only require a WoF every two years (currently annual). All light vehicles aged over 10 years would be tested annually, whereas currently only those built from the year 2000-on are, with everything else 6-monthly (except vehicles aged over 40 which are now annual, which was only introduced in September). In addition, light rental vehicles aged under 5 years will only require an annual CoF A inspection (currently 6-monthly).
“New Zealand has the most frequent vehicle safety inspection frequency in the world, with older light vehicles required to be tested as often as every six months,” Stockdale says. “Our closest neighbour, Australia, doesn’t even have a periodic inspection in most states, and neither does Canada. But despite our frequent testing regime, New Zealand’s road toll isn’t any better than those countries with lesser – or no – inspections,” Stockdale adds.
Transporting New Zealand says road crash data shows that vehicle defects are a very small contributing factor to crashes, and NZTA analysis concludes that the cost of our frequent inspection regime outweighs the safety benefits. The consultation document concludes that these changes would benefit 1.6 million light vehicle owners and reduce compliance costs by between $1.6-2.6 billion over a 28-year period.
“These are common sense productivity changes that catches New Zealand up to the rest of the world and will save time and money for businesses and motorists,” Stockdale concluded.
About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.
Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4,700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
Appointments – Pita Tipene is new NRC chair, Jack Craw deputy
Source: Northland Regional Council
Northland Regional Councillors have elected Pita Tipene – one of two Te Raki Māori Constituency representatives – as their new chair, with Jack Craw, representing the Whangārei Central General Constituency, elected as his deputy.
Unlike district councils, whose mayors are chosen by the public through local elections, the regional council’s equivalent – its chair – is voted in by councillors.
The election of the chair and deputy was one of the new council’s first formal tasks after councillors were officially sworn in at their inaugural meeting in Whangārei today (subs: Weds 05 November).
Chair Tipene today paid tribute to the council’s former Chair Geoff Crawford for his work over the previous term of council.
Chair Tipene says councillors are a team that will work collectively on behalf of Te Taitokerau to take the region forward over the next three years.
“My immediate goal is to build unity of purpose amongst councillors, council management and staff on behalf of the people of Northland who we serve.”
Chair Tipene says council needs to focus on its core business and where possible work with the region’s three district councils. “Together we can do much, much more.”
Meanwhile, also sworn in at today’s meeting were new councillors Colin (Toss) Kitchen (who will represent the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency and who returns to council after a three-year break), John Hunt (Coastal South General Constituency) and Arama Morunga (the other of council’s Te Raki Māori Constituency representatives).
Joining them in taking their oaths of office were returning councillors Craw, Coastal Central Constituency councillor Amy Macdonald (who is currently in Wellington and was sworn in there today), Joe Carr (Far North General Constituency), John Blackwell (Kaipara General Constituency) and Cr Crawford (Mid North General Constituency.)
University Research – Vaping widening inequities in youth smoking – UoA
Source: University of Auckland (UoA)
The advent of vaping slowed progress on reducing smoking, especially for Māori and Pacific teens.
The rise of vaping in Aotearoa, New Zealand may be slowing progress in reducing smoking and widening inequities between Māori and Pacific adolescents and others of the same age.
Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, the study analysed data on vaping and smoking from almost 600,000 year 10 students aged 14 to 15 years.
“The emergence of vaping appears to have undermined progress in reducing regular smoking, especially among Māori and Pacific youth who were already facing disproportionate tobacco-related harm,” says Dr Lucy Hardie, a population health researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
The researchers, who were from the Universities of Otago, Auckland and Sydney, and the Daffodil Centre for cancer research, compared smoking trends for different ethnicities from 2003 to 2009 (before vaping became common in Aotearoa) with those from 2010 to 2024 (when vaping became increasingly common).
“We found that the introduction of vaping may have impacted young Māori more than other groups, as progress in reducing smoking slowed more in young Māori than in the other groups,” says Hardie.
Between 2003 and 2024, rates of regular smoking among 14 to 15-year-olds declined substantially for Māori, Pacific, European, and Asian adolescents. However, these declines in smoking slowed for Māori, Pacific, and European youth after vaping emerged in 2010.
Māori health and public health researcher Associate Professor Andrew Waa from the University of Otago said the findings are especially concerning for Māori and Pacific youth, who already have much higher rates of smoking and vaping than their peers.
We sometimes hear that e-cigarettes might be a harm-reduction device for Māori and Pacific youth, by reducing or stopping them from smoking,” Waa says.
“Our study shows the opposite. Rather than supporting claims that vaping reduces harms for Māori and Pacific youth, vaping has substantially added to them. It has become a major additional source of nicotine dependence, carries its own health risks, and appears to have led to more adolescents smoking.”
In 2024, regular smoking among 14 to 15-year-olds was approximately 6.2 percent for Māori, 3.3 percent for Pacific, and 2 percent for European adolescents. However, the study found that if each group’s pre-2010 smoking trend had continued, the estimated 2024 prevalences would have been 4.2 percent for Māori, 1.8 percent for Pacific, and 0.7 percent for European adolescents.
For every 1,000 students, there were 20 more Māori, 15 more Pacific and 13 more European students smoking regularly in 2024 than there would have been if pre-2010 smoking trends had continued.
Waa says the implications extend beyond biomedical harm and into Indigenous rights and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international frameworks.
“Before colonisation, Māori were free from nicotine addiction. Today, nicotine from cigarettes and vapes undermines Māori self-determination by embedding dependence within our communities.”
He says governments have duties under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to reduce health inequities and protect Māori youth from commercial determinants of health.
“Policies that enable easy access to vaping products don’t just miss the mark on health – they also fall short of Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and Aotearoa’s international obligations to address inequities affecting Indigenous peoples.”
Waa said urgent action is needed to align policy with those obligations.
“We should be closing the door on all sources of nicotine dependence, not opening new ones. Protecting Māori youth is a Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligation, and protecting all young people is a core public health responsibility.”
About the study
The study, “Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14 to 15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: An interrupted time series analysis of repeated cross-sectional data, 2003–2024”, is published on 5 November in the The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.
University Research – Vaping contributing to higher rates of smoking in Māori and Pacific youth
Source: University of Otago
Aotearoa’s progress in reducing smoking has slowed for Māori, Pacific and European adolescents, and vaping could be the reason, according to research published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Otago, Auckland, and Sydney, along with the Daffodil Centre in Australia, analysed population-level data from almost 600,000 Year 10 students aged 14–15. The students were surveyed between 2003 and 2024 as part of the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Year 10 Survey.
Using interrupted time series analysis, the researchers compared smoking trends from 2003-2009 (before vaping became common in Aotearoa) with those from 2010-2024 (when vaping became increasingly common).
They found rates of regular smoking among 14-15-year-olds declined significantly for Māori, Pacific, European, and Asian adolescents between 2003 and 2024. However, these declines in smoking slowed for Māori, Pacific, and European youth after vaping emerged in 2010.
A senior author of the research, Associate Professor Andrew Waa from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, says the findings are especially concerning for Māori and Pacific youth, who already have much higher rates of smoking and vaping than their peers.
“We sometimes hear that e-cigarettes might be a harm-reduction device for Māori and Pacific youth, by reducing or stopping them from smoking.
“Our results show the opposite. Rather than supporting claims that vaping reduces harms for Māori and Pacific youth, vaping has substantially added to them. It has become a major additional source of nicotine dependence, carries its own health risks, and appears to have led to more adolescents smoking.”
In 2024, regular smoking among 14-15-year-olds was approximately 6.2 per cent for Māori, 3.3 per cent for Pacific, and 2 per cent for European adolescents. However, the study found that if each group’s pre-2010 smoking trend had continued, the estimated 2024 prevalences would have been 4.2 per cent for Māori, 1.8 per cent for Pacific, and 0.7 per cent for European adolescents.
A co-author on the paper, Dr Lucy Hardie, a Research Fellow at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau, says the numbers make the impact clear.
“Our results indicate that, for every 1,000 students, there were 20 more Māori, 15 more Pacific and 13 more European students smoking regularly in 2024 than there would have been if pre-2010 smoking trends had continued.”
Associate Professor Waa says the implications extend beyond biomedical harm and into Indigenous rights and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international frameworks.
“Before colonisation, Māori were free from nicotine addiction. Today, nicotine from cigarettes and vapes undermines Māori self-determination by embedding dependence within our communities.”
He says governments have duties under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to reduce health inequities and protect Māori youth from commercial determinants of health.
“Policies that enable easy access to vaping products don’t just miss the mark on health, they also fall short of Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and of Aotearoa’s international obligations to address inequities affecting Indigenous peoples.”
Waa says urgent action is needed to align government policy with these obligations.
“We should be closing the door on all sources of nicotine dependence, not opening new ones. Protecting Māori youth is an obligation under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and protecting all young people is a core public health responsibility.”
Notes:
The research paper, ‘Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14-15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: an interrupted time series analysis of repeated cross-sectional data, 2003-2024’ is published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. A companion explainer will be published in The Conversation and will be live at this link when the embargo lifts: https://theconversation.com/vaping-is-slowing-progress-in-cutting-teen-smoking-rates-in-nz-widening-inequities-for-maori-and-pacific-youth-267851
Health Status – Expansion of mental health crisis support services welcomed
Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission welcomes investment in crisis response services announced today by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey.
The substantial funding package will improve access to support for people in mental health and substance use crisis. The announcement was made at the inaugural Hauora Hinengaro: He ara tūroa conference that Te Hiringa Mahara is co-hosting with TheMHS in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
The additional funding for will provide for a range of crisis support services. Funding an 40 additional frontline clinical staff for crisis assessment and treatment is a significant increase, along with additional initiatives to boost access to peer support.
“The investment will mean more people will get safe and welcoming support at a critical time. This is a step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing where support will be extended to, and the timeframes. In our monitoring role we will keep a close eye on this,” Te Hiringa Mahara CE Karen Orsborn said.
“We know that peer workers and cultural workforces can play a bigger role drawing on their lived experience. This is something we have been calling for so we are very pleased to see access to peer services is being expanded”.
The report released yesterday by Te Hiringa Mahara – Ururpare mōrearea: Crisis responses monitoring report – shows people seeking help and their whānau find current crisis services hard to navigate. We are calling for a nationally cohesive system to be developed by June 2027.
“A cohesive national approach will set out what is needed and where to supplement services. The challenge is to connect services up for people who need it wherever they live. This includes crisis lines which are under pressure,” Ms Orsborn said.
“The current system doesn’t always work well, particularly for Māori, young people or those living rurally, so this needs to remain a real focus.”
Note
Business Sector – Rise in unemployment underscores fragile recovery, says EMA
Source: EMA
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says the slight rise in unemployment to 5.3% for the September quarter is disappointing but not unexpected and reflects the ongoing fragility in the business environment.
Alan McDonald, Head of Advocacy at the EMA, says the increase aligns with what the EMA is hearing from its members across the country.
“It’s no surprise the rate has edged up; it’s been widely predicted,” says McDonald. “While there has been a recent lift in business confidence, headlines like this tend to knock it back down. It’s a reminder of how fragile the recovery still is.”
The EMA says the data point to ongoing caution among employers, with some sectors holding back on investment and hiring due to soft demand and economic uncertainty.
“We’re seeing record numbers of job seekers, and nearly 13% of these are NEETs (18- to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education, or training),” says McDonald.
“That’s a real concern, but we’re encouraged by the approach Minister Upston and the Ministry for Social Development are taking in working more closely with employers and focusing on training and recruitment. That’s the right direction.”
Despite the rise in unemployment, the EMA believes there are signs of improvement that may begin to show in future data.
“Unemployment is a lag indicator, and while this result is disappointing, we’re hopeful it marks the peak,” says McDonald.
“We’re starting to see some hints of positive movement but it will take time before that’s reflected in hiring intentions.
“It’s also likely that a number of those planning on leaving school and other institutions may be staying a bit longer, which may have an upside in those people being better prepared to enter the workforce and having slightly higher skill levels.
“Alongside economic indicators, several key legislative reforms are underway, including changes to the RMA, infrastructure, immigration, employment law, and vocational education.
“While these reforms will take time to deliver results, they are important steps towards strengthening the business environment and supporting future growth.”
The EMA says what businesses need most now is a period of stability.
“When the unemployment numbers do start to turn, we’d expect to see other economic indicators follow suit,” says McDonald.
“Even modest growth would be welcome, but what we really need is stability. That’s the message we’re hearing loud and clear from our members.”