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Rare Disorders NZ - Latest News [Page 1]
Proposal To Widen Access To Cystic Fibrosis Medicines Welcomed
Thursday, 22 January 2026, 4:51 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ was pleased to see the Associate Minister of Health David Seymour recognise the lifechanging difference it will make to families affected by cystic fibrosis in his statement today. More >>
Calling All Kiwis With A Rare Health Condition – Your Voice Is Needed
Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 10:56 am | Rare Disorders NZ
“This is the only survey of its kind for understanding the challenges Kiwis with rare disorders face when trying to get their healthcare needs met. The more people who participate, the more complete a picture we get,” says Rare Disorders NZ CE ... More >>
Rare Disorders NZ Urges Government To Include Rare Disorders Strategy In Pae Ora Legislation
Tuesday, 19 August 2025, 11:47 am | Rare Disorders NZ
There are estimated to be 300,000 New Zealanders living with a rare disorder. Surveys by Rare Disorders NZ have revealed significant gaps in the health system preventing people living with rare disorders from accessing timely diagnosis and appropriate ... More >>
New Zealand’s First Cross-Party Parliamentary Group On Rare And Undiagnosed Disorders Established
Monday, 24 March 2025, 1:19 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders New Zealand initiated the establishment of the group, which was supported by Hon. David Seymour, Associate Minister of Health, with the inaugural meeting being hosted in the Minister’s office. More >>
Te Whatu Ora Reset Standing In The Way Of People With Rare Disorders Getting The Care They Need
Monday, 28 October 2024, 11:37 am | Rare Disorders NZ
In July, the Ministry of Health released New Zealand’s first Rare Disorders Strategy, setting the direction for health entities to better support people living with a rare disorder. More >>
Rare Disorder Community Celebrates Aotearoa’s First Rare Disorders Strategy
Thursday, 25 July 2024, 2:26 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
For over 20 years Rare Disorders NZ, along with many other stakeholders in the rare disorder community has been calling for an official Rare Disorders Strategy to direct government entities on how to respond to rare disorder cases. More >>
Rare Disorders Strategy Released Today
Thursday, 25 July 2024, 2:18 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
While the Strategy does not include everything we were hoping, it is an important first step to seeing meaningful change in our health system and other services for the rare community. More >>
Rare Disorder Patients Desperate To Know If Their Medicines Will Be Funded In New Pharmac Funding Allocation
Tuesday, 25 June 2024, 4:36 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ welcomes the announcement that more funding has been allocated to Pharmac’s medicines purchasing budget but is deeply frustrated that there is a lack of clarity around what the additional 28 medicines to be funded will be. On ... More >>
Funding All Medicines On Waitlist The Only Fair Solution To Election Bribe Blunder, Says Rare Disorders NZ
Thursday, 13 June 2024, 7:10 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
The Government recently acknowledged that it will not be able to deliver on National’s election promise to fund 13 named cancer medicines in this year’s budget, which was a huge blow for patients desperately waiting for access to these life-saving ... More >>
New Changes To Support Funding Further Deprive Disabled Kiwis Of Choices And Opportunities, Says Rare Disorders NZ
Thursday, 21 March 2024, 10:19 am | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ is alarmed that the Minister for Disability Issues is blaming carers for misusing support funding intended for their children as a reason for Whaikaha suddenly tightening how disability support funding can be used, without any consultation ... More >>
Pharmac-initiated Lengthy Review A Waste Of Valuable Time And Resources, Says Rare Disorders NZ
Tuesday, 19 March 2024, 7:10 am | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ is very concerned that Pharmac will not extend access to life-saving medicines for children with rare disorders in line with child cancer patients under Rule 8.1b More >>
Rare Disorders NZ Wants New Minister For Pharmac To Act Swiftly To Remove Pharmac Chair
Tuesday, 28 November 2023, 2:14 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ has today written to the new Minister for Pharmac, David Seymour, reiterating their call for the removal of Pharmac’s Chair, Steve Maharey. Rare Disorders NZ is appalled no action has been taken against the CEO of Pharmac, Sarah ... More >>
Rare Disorders NZ Appalled By Attitude Within Pharmac; Calls For Chair’s Removal
Wednesday, 11 October 2023, 2:59 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders New Zealand is calling on the Minister of Health to remove Steve Maharey as Pharmac’s Chair after he has failed to take strong action against the CEO of Pharmac, Sarah Fitt, for the unacceptable language revealed in internal correspondence ... More >>
Making The Invisible 300,000 Kiwis Count
Sunday, 24 September 2023, 8:45 am | Rare Disorders NZ
All New Zealanders living with a rare disorder and their carers are being called on to participate in the country’s largest survey on living with a rare disorder in New Zealand. The Voice of Rare Disorders Survey is a biannual survey initiated ... More >>
Our Voice Of Rare Disorders Survey 2023 Is Now Open – Please Share!
Monday, 18 September 2023, 2:56 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
It’s time for Rare Disorders NZ’s biannual survey on living with a rare disorder in Aotearoa New Zealand! Currently, no comprehensive data is collected on rare disorders in New Zealand, which is why our biannual surveys are so vital to fill the current ... More >>
Rare Disorders Omission From Cabinet Paper Concerning, Says Rare Disorders NZ
Friday, 1 September 2023, 9:00 am | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ is alarmed that despite Manatū Hauora working for the past year on New Zealand’s first Rare Disorders Strategy to address the inequitable health outcomes for those affected by rare disorders, the rare disorder community has not ... More >>
COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted Too Soon, Says Rare Disorders NZ
Tuesday, 15 August 2023, 3:25 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ is extremely frustrated that the Government is scrapping all remaining COVID-19 restrictions while Pharmac is still in the process of deciding whether to widen the access criteria for COVID-19 antivirals. Currently the access criteria ... More >>
Treatment For Severe Rare Disorder Finally Available, But Screening Is Not
Friday, 2 June 2023, 9:53 am | Rare Disorders NZ
Rare Disorders NZ has written to the Minister of Health asking her to urgently look into why no progress has been made to include spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in the newborn screening programme, despite Pharmac approving two life-saving therapies ... More >>
‘Blind Spot’ In Health System Due To Lack Of Data On Rare Disorders
Wednesday, 10 May 2023, 6:21 pm | Rare Disorders NZ
A new report being launched today by Rare Disorders NZ exposes the shockingly low quantity of data available on rare disorders in New Zealand, indicating that government heath entities have no sense of the prevalence of rare disorders or the scale of ... More >>
Aotearoa Called To #GlowUpShowUp For Rare Disorders Month
Tuesday, 28 February 2023, 7:07 am | Rare Disorders NZ
Today is International Rare Disease Day and marks the start of the first Aotearoa Rare Disorders Month. Rare Disorders New Zealand (RDNZ) is calling on Aotearoa to Glow Up and Show Up for the rare disorder community throughout March in recognition ... More >>
