Media release

From: New Zealand Medical Journal

Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest bowel cancer rates globally, with Māori and Pacific peoples disproportionately affected. More Māori are diagnosed before age 60, facing higher mortality rates than non-Māori. A national bowel screening programme was launched in 2016 for ages 60–74, despite equity modelling showing non-Māori would benefit more. Māori cancer leaders advocated lowering the screening age to 50 for Māori and Pacific peoples, utilising evidence, whānau experiences, media and engagement with government. In 2020, the Government refused to lower the bowel screening age for Māori and Pacific peoples. However, advocates persisted, supported by new data confirming rising Māori bowel cancer incidence. The 2022 Government supported lowering the screening age, but implementation was limited. A year later, the new Government embarked on a politically motivated agenda, rejecting ethnically targeted policies. This paper highlights the sustained advocacy for an equitable screening programme, and the government resistance and structural racism delaying such screening, costing Māori lives.