The Health Minister says higher testing rates are key to better bowel cancer outcomes.

The Government is lowering eligibility for free screening to 58 from late this year.

It's using funding set aside from the previous Government's plan to lower screening for Māori and Pasifika - who have worse early onset death rates - to 50.

Simeon Brown says this will save more lives - but he explained they'll still pay attention to those communities. 

"We're also going to be doing a lot of work with Health NZ to focus on increasing the rates of testing amongst those Māori and Pasifika communities." 

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