BUDGET 2025: Government Budget leaves blood cancer patients behind

Leading patient organisations say today’s Budget is a devastating blow for New Zealanders with blood cancer, with no new funding allocated for life-extending or curative treatments. While the Government is re-celebrating last years’ medicine announcements, Pharmac has already allocated these funds – meaning there is no budget for new medicines.

The 2025 Budget confirms the Government’s decision to walk away from Pharmac’s growing medicines waitlist, locking in four more years of denied access and patient harm.

Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC), the Blood Cancer Alliance, and the Cancer Society say the Budget outcome highlights the ongoing neglect of blood cancer patients whose treatment relies heavily on access to modern medicines. It reinforces concerns about New Zealand’s sustained lag behind OECD peers in access to cancer therapies.

‘This Budget was a chance to deliver on promises to improve access to cancer medicines – but once again, blood cancer patients have been left behind,’ said Tim Edmonds, CEO of LBC. ‘For many patients who had hoped for good news today, waiting another year may simply not be an option.’

Despite last year’s $604 million Pharmac uplift, only 180 blood cancer patients benefitted – less than 1% of all New Zealanders living with a blood cancer. Gross spending on blood cancer medicines declined over the same period, raising serious concerns about how funding is being prioritised and whether Pharmac’s current model is fit to deliver timely access for those who rely primarily on medicines to survive.

These concerns were echoed in a March letter to the Government signed by over 50 haematologists, who described the situation as a ‘fundamental health policy failure’ and warned of eroding trust, low morale, and avoidable deaths due to delays in funding clinically proven medicines.

Dr Rodger Tiedemann, consultant haematologist and senior author of the letter said ‘New Zealand languishes at the bottom of the OECD for access to modern medicines – and sadly this budget does nothing to address that. An entire sector of the health system called on the Government in one voice to deliver better treatments for Kiwis with blood cancers, and it’s clear from budget 2025 that we were ignored. When did it become OK for the New Zealand government to overlook the needs of New Zealanders with blood cancer?’

Nicola Coom, CEO of the Cancer Society said ‘Blood cancer patients don’t have the option of surgery or radiation – medicines are their primary treatment option. This growing group has been left behind again. Relying on private fundraising and GoFundMe campaigns is not a solution. New Zealand must do better and fund blood cancer medicines, this budget has let this group down.’

The organisations are urging the Government to clear Pharmac’s backlog of unfunded medicines and commit to medicine investment that brings New Zealand in line with the rest of the OECD. Successive governments have failed to fix this critical gap in the health system – one that’s essential to the delivery of timely, quality healthcare to New Zealanders.