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‘There is always more we could be doing, and we are only limited by the resources available to us, so we are incredibly grateful for the support we receive from our donors, grant funders, sponsors, and the contracts we have with Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora.’
Diabetes New Zealand Annual Review – Arotake ā-tau 2024
THE ANNUAL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON THE DIABETES NZ WEBSITE
• Developing a position statement that reflected the urgent need for funding of CGMs for all people in Aotearoa on insulin, and the benefit in doing so. This was supported by NZSSD, Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, and the Healthier Lives He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge, and given to all political parties in the lead up to the election. • Diabetes Action Month was themed ‘Eyes on Diabetes’ to raise awareness that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in New Zealand. The campaign successfully created new resources to provide a legacy for the eye health topic including an Eyes on Diabetes digital and print resource,
people living with diabetes. The online brochure aims to educate and prepare people living with diabetes before arriving at the airport. It includes relevant tips, explanations of the screening process, and helpful information. We strengthened our advocacy by: • Staging a political forum hosted at the Auckland offices of PwC New Zealand, and invited spokespeople from all major political parties to participate in a panel discussion on their proposed policies for diabetes prevention and management. The panel was moderated and facilitated by Guyon Espiner. Three parties accepted the challenge and attended – National, Labour, and the Green Party.
CATHERINE TAYLOR
Outgoing Board Chair Diabetes NZ
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Autumn 2025
a new Eyes & Diabetes brochure, an Eyes on Diabetes e-book, brand new video content, and two new recorded Facebook Live events. These resources were developed and shared widely throughout the month in many high-profile locations and channels. There is always more we could be doing, and we are only limited by the resources available to us, so we are incredibly grateful for the support we receive from our donors, grant funders, sponsors, and the contracts we have with Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora. We look forward to the year ahead and delivering on our purpose – to reduce the impact of type 1 diabetes, and incidence of other types of diabetes in Aotearoa New Zealand.
HEATHER VERRY
Chief Executive Diabetes NZ
