‘Need Not Race’ Approach To Bowel Cancer Screening Will Save Lives

06 Mar 2025, 09:26 by ACT New Zealand · SCOOP

“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.

“ACT campaigned against targeting services based on race, because this practice was unfair, inefficient, and led to perverse outcomes.

“Bowel cancer screening was a classic example. In 2022, Labour set a lower eligibility age for Māori/Pacific people accessing the National Bowel Screening Programme.

“However, bowel cancer does not discriminate on race. Māori and Pacific peoples have a similar risk of developing bowel cancer compared to other population groups at a given age.

“It was true that a higher proportion of bowel cancers occur in Māori and Pacific peoples at a younger age, but that is because the overall demographics of those groups are younger. It has always been age that determines bowel cancer risk, not race.

“Today, the Government has repurposed Labour’s funding to deliver an eligibility age of 58 for all population groups, down from the previous default of 60.

“This is 'need, not race' in action. ACT campaigned on it, we secured it in our coalition agreement, the Minister of Health pushed officials, and the result was (after having to go overseas for the advice) that we can have good things and deliver wider health benefits to all New Zealanders.

“It shows, when you use real science and real statistics you don’t have to be racist. The previous government got the science and statistics wrong, and practiced racism. We abhor racial discrimination and we’re proud to be part of seeing the back of it.”

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