The Prostate Cancer Foundation says the Government’s failure to provide funding in Budget 2026 for a prostate cancer screening pilot is another missed opportunity to save Kiwi men’s lives.
Foundation President Danny Bedingfield said the organisation was disappointed that a relatively modest investment had again been overlooked despite years of advocacy and strong support from clinicians and health experts.
“We have now been talking to successive governments for more than three years about funding two regional pilots for the early detection screening of prostate cancer at an approximate cost of only $6.4 million over four years,” Mr Bedingfield said.
“In the context of a multi-billion-dollar health budget, this is a drop in the bucket for the Government, but a kick in the guts for Kiwi men and their families.
“And it goes against what ordinary Kiwis want. Independent polling of 1,000 eligible voters found that 84% of New Zealanders support the development of a prostate cancer screening programme. This strong level of support cuts across gender, age, region, and political affiliation.
“The Government continues to say it is committed to improving cancer outcomes, yet once again prostate cancer has been left behind. Everyone acknowledges that the earlier cancer is detected, the better the clinical outcomes and the better the survival rates.”
Mr Bedingfield said the Foundation was struggling to understand why prostate cancer screening continued to face delays when more than 4,000 New Zealand men are diagnosed with the disease every year and more than 700 die from it annually.
“These are fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, workmates and friends. Their lives matter, he says. “We have two simple questions for the Government — why does cancer specific to men continue to be overlooked, and what exactly is the barrier to finally getting a prostate cancer screening pilot underway?”
Mr Bedingfield said the case for action was overwhelming. “The clinical support is there, the need is there, and the cost is modest. What appears to be missing is the political will to act.
“If funding a pilot programme is considered a bridge too far for Health Minister Simeon Brown, then we urge the Minister to direct officials to urgently identify other practical measures that could reduce the toll prostate cancer is taking on New Zealand families.
“We cannot continue talking about improving cancer outcomes while ignoring the cancer that kills more than 700 Kiwi men every year.”