Government went against health advice to lower bowel cancer screening age for Māori, Pacific

Health officials advised the Government " significantly" more lives could be saved if it lowered the bowel cancer screening age for Māori and Pasifika further than the rest of the population. However, ministers didn’t go with this recommended option, which was to lower the starting age from 60 to 58 for most New Zealanders, while lowering it to 56 for Māori and Pacific peoples. Instead, they opted to lower the age from 60 to 58 for all New Zealanders.

Officials advised then-Health Minister Dr Shane Reti in August last year that their recommended option would prevent approximately 918 more cases and 678 deaths over 25 years compared with the current age. That compared to the option chosen by ministers, that would prevent 771 more cases and 566 deaths. Looking specifically at the effect on Māori and Pasifika, the officials’ preferred option would prevent 309 more cases and 228 deaths among them, compared to 161 more cases and 117 deaths under ministers’ option.



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