Breast Cancer Foundation NZ
News & updates
Our latest news, press releases, blog posts, Pink Ribbon Bulletins & Pink Ribbon Press.
Press release
24 April 2024
NZ’s first Indian MP named as new Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador
We're delighted to welcome Kanwaljit Bakshi as our newest ambassador.
Press release
02 April 2024
Life-saving treatment for triple negative breast cancer a step closer to being funded
Pharmac has recommended Keytruda should be publicly funded for both early and advanced triple negative breast cancer.
Press release
15 February 2024
Exciting news: The work has started on free screening for 70-74
Today, we are celebrating a big win to ensure more breast cancer is detected early – the work has finally started on our eight year long campaign to extend free breast screening for Kiwi women aged 70-74.
Press release
14 February 2024
New drug is good news but Pharmac refuses to reconsider eligibility
Pharmac will fund ribociclib for Kiwis with hormone-positive advanced breast cancer, but the drug-buying agency has refused our recommendation to allow patients to switch drugs if they have severe side-effects.
Press release
16 October 2023
New Pink Campervan kicks off inaugural tour, taking breast cancer awareness to the regions
Our new, state-of-the-art Pink Campervan has embarked on its inaugural tour, taking life-saving breast health education to all regions of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Press release
02 October 2023
What Google searches are telling us about the state of breast cancer in NZ
A dramatic surge in Google searches related to breast cancer in the last year has not correlated with an increase in mammogram participation. We're worried this may signal a concerning trend about the state of breast cancer in Aotearoa.
Press release
28 September 2023
New Zealand shines pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
More than 60 iconic sites across Aotearoa New Zealand will be glowing in pink this October to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Press release
27 September 2023
Will the next Government do enough for breast cancer?
Ahead of the election, Breast Cancer Foundation NZ has laid down a challenge to political parties to tackle breast cancer – the leading killer of New Zealand women under 65.
Press release
31 August 2023
Free mammograms for older women receives cross-party support in Parliament
We're welcoming the cross-party support received for Dr Shane Reti's bill to increase the breast screening age.
Press release
23 August 2023
Pharmac breast cancer drug restriction denies patients “another chance at more time”
Pharmac has missed a golden opportunity to allow more Kiwis access to a new breast cancer drug, a move that would have brought New Zealand into line with the rest of the world and removed a disparity that hits Māori and Pasifika hardest.
Press release
27 July 2023
Breast cancer screening bill pulled from ballot
Today Dr Shane Reti's private member's bill to increase the breast screening age to 74 has been drawn from the ballot box, taking us one step closer to our older women being able to access free mammograms.
Press release
08 June 2023
Pharmac breast cancer cost-saving proposal welcome but ignores patients facing “dead-end”
We're welcoming Pharmac's proposal to replace Herceptin with a cheaper and safe alternative for HER2-positive breast cancer, but we're disappointed Pharmac's medical advisors won't widen access to this drug for certain patients who have run out of options.
Press release
01 June 2023
Government stalling on breast screening costs the life of one woman every month
One woman a month will needlessly lose her life to breast cancer thanks to the Government’s latest refusal to uphold its promise of lifting the breast screening age to 74.
Press release
25 May 2023
Pink Ribbon Breakfast website crash: “We still need - and can accept - your donations!”
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is urging New Zealanders to donate to the first ever Pink Ribbon Breakfast Day, despite its website crashing this morning.
Press release
18 May 2023
Budget 2023: "It’s hard to see how the Government is serious about its women’s health strategy"
In response to the Budget 2023 announcement, our CEO Ah-Leen Rayner says: “It’s hard to see how the Government is serious about its women’s health strategy when this Budget has nothing in it for women’s health - let alone breast cancer."
Press release
16 May 2023
Pre-Budget warning to the women of NZ: “Brace yourselves for disappointment”
Ahead of Budget 2023, Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is issuing a stark warning to the women of Aotearoa New Zealand: brace yourselves for disappointment that our Government won’t do more to prevent deaths from breast cancer.
Press release
15 May 2023
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ pays tribute to patron Dame Rosie Horton
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is mourning the death of its patron, Dame Rosie Horton, who passed away at Auckland City Hospital over the weekend.
Press release
10 May 2023
“It’s not good enough that 10 women in Wellington may have been harmed by a service that is meant to protect them"
In response to the two reviews looking into breast screening released today by Te Whatu Ora, BCFNZ CEO Ah-Leen Rayner says the national Breast Screening Action Plan mentioned must be ambitious and deliver tangible change – extending the screening age to 74 and lowering it to 40 for Māori and Pacific women is the bare minimum needed to save more lives.
Press release
03 May 2023
Revealed: Where our political parties stand on tackling breast cancer
All New Zealanders can now see where the country’s political parties stand on tackling breast cancer – the leading cause of death for New Zealand women under 65.
Press release
02 March 2023
MPs back charity’s plea for improvements to breast screening
Parliament's Petitions Committee is backing our call on Government to improve access to breast screening, in the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns creating a massive mammogram backlog.
Press release
03 February 2023
“Don’t suffer in silence”: Charity urges breast cancer survivors to act on long-term effects
Ahead of World Cancer Day (4 February), we're highlighting the issue of long-term side effects of breast cancer treatment, to gain more knowledge in this under-researched field.
Press release
09 December 2022
Widely available heartburn tablet offers hope for Kiwi breast cancer patients
Results from the PantoCIN trial, which was co-funded by Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, have shown that a widely available heartburn medication can prevent delayed nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.
Press release
19 October 2022
Support for Reti’s breast screening bill – “our older women’s lives are worth saving”
After years of campaigning for the breast screening age to be raised to 74, we fully support National MP Dr Shane Reti's attempt to get this enshrined in law.
Press release
17 October 2022
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei artists join us to promote the importance of mammograms
Members of Te Puāwai weavers feature in our new awareness campaign called Mammograms For Us to encourage wāhine to book their mammograms.