01 Oct 2026
3 weeks ago
319 views
BreastScreen Aotearoa has expanded free breast screening to include women turning 71, continuing a four-year rollout that will eventually cover women aged 70 to 74, benefiting approximately 120,000 more women. The government has increased capacity with four new mobile units and five new or upgraded sites to improve access, particularly in rural areas, leading to early detection of hundreds of breast cancers since the program began. This initiative is part of broader efforts to enhance women's health in New Zealand, including upcoming free cervical screening and improved endometriosis diagnosis.
19 Nov 2025
11 months ago
1096 views
The Cabinet has agreed to introduce new safeguards on prescribing gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, restricting their use for new patients with gender dysphoria or incongruence until further clinical trial results are available, while maintaining access for existing patients and those with other medical conditions. This precautionary approach follows a lack of high-quality evidence on the benefits and risks of these treatments for gender dysphoria and aligns New Zealand’s regulations with those of the UK and other countries. The government emphasizes ensuring treatments are safe, evidence-based, and accessible through continued support and centralized youth gender services.