• Māori health organisations have criticised the Government’s revised National Bowel Screening Programme for increasing Māori and Pasifika men’s mortality risk.
• The screening age will be lowered to 58 for all, reversing plans to lower it to 50 for Māori and Pacific men.
• Experts argue the change fails to address health disparities, urging targeted screening to reduce preventable deaths among Māori.

Māori health organisations say Māori and Pasifika men have been given an early death sentence following the Government’s revised National Bowel Screening Programme.

Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced the Government is lowering the screening from 60 to 58 for all New Zealanders – and canned plans to lower the age for Māori and Pacific men to 50.

Act supports lowering the age to 58 for all men – starting in March 2026 and the cancellation of lowering the age for Māori and Pasifika men to 50.

“Act campaigned against targeting services based on race. The move to reduce the eligibility age for free bowel cancer screening to 58 is ‘need, not race’ in action, and will save lives,” says Act leader David Seymour.

But chairwoman of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons National Committee, Dr Ros Pochin, says introducing a blanket policy covering all races made sense if the statistics backed that up. However research shows bowel cancer affects Māori and Pacific Island men at a younger age.

“Far too many Māori and Pasifika are dying that could have a fighting chance if they were screened from 50,” says Bowel Cancer NZ medical adviser Professor Sue Crengle. Photo / Ministry of Pacific Peoples

“While increasing access to life-saving bowel cancer screening is a positive step, this plan doesn’t shift the dial far enough and fails to address the stark health disparities Māori face,” Pochin said.

Māori are more likely to be diagnosed with bowel cancer at a younger age, and at more advanced stages, compared to non-Māori.

Leading health experts and advocacy groups have long called for the screening age to be lowered to 50 for Māori and Pacific peoples, in line with the evidence.

“Without a targeted approach, this decision risks leaving Māori further behind, despite clear evidence that earlier screening would have the greatest impact on reducing preventable deaths in our communities.”

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in New Zealand, and Māori are disproportionately affected by late diagnoses.

Hāpai Te Hauora chief executive Jacqui Harema.

Māori health policy organisation Hāpai Te Hauora acknowledges the expansion of the National Bowel Screening Programme to 58 years but is also concerned by the removal of funding for targeted Māori and Pacific screening initiatives.

“The data is clear – Māori develop bowel cancer earlier, and without targeted interventions, we will continue to see late diagnoses and higher mortality rates,” says Jacqui Harema, Hāpai CEO.

“Instead of cutting these programmes, the Government should be prioritising them.”

Hei Āhuru Mōwai chairman Nina Scott has labelled Brown’s decision institutionalised racism.

“The Government knows that Māori are at higher risk yet has chosen to cut a programme that was working to improve outcomes. As experts have pointed out, this move is not just inequitable – it is totally unethical and will cost lives,” Scott said.

She noted targeted bowel screening pilots have proven successful with a programme in Waikato that lowered the screening age to 50 for Māori and Pacific resulted in multiple early cancer diagnoses and the removal of precancerous polyps – life-saving interventions that would not have happened otherwise.