38199 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

38199 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What progress, if any, has been made as at 17 June 2024, toward the recommendation ‘Co-design with Māori and Pacific approaches to achieve equity’ in Te Whatu Ora’s ‘BreastScreen Aotearoa Quality Improvement Action Plan’?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that Health New Zealand is continuing work to achieve equity in breast cancer screening. This involves co-designing solutions, including: Regional hui-fono are being planned across New Zealand to help build and strengthen relationships across the BSA cancer screening system; identify issues facing providers and discuss potential solutions to these. The first hui-fono was help in Hamilton on 20 May 2024 and involved a range of Māori and Pacific-focused organisations. Co-design initiatives are ongoing in Hamilton and Counties-Manukau to gain insights from wāhine Māori and Pacific women on barriers to access breast and cervical screening and identify solutions. Partnerships have been established with several regional organisations to deliver surveys, wānanga, focus groups, or workshops with their local communities and whānau to identify barriers and enablers that impact their participation in breast, cervical, and bowel cancer screening programmes. A partnership has been established with an organisation that has a large national network of wāhine Māori. BreastScreen Aotearoa will support this partner to roll out a programme of education and training, community events, and other activities to encourage their members, whānau, and the wider community to screen for breast cancer. A partnership has been established with a Hauora Māori Provider to design and implement a pilot that will connect with Māori and Pacific women through primary and secondary healthcare services (and through the wider community); assess their health needs and support these women to enroll and screen for breast cancer.