ANNUAL REVIEW 2024

We bring you the report from the outgoing Board Chair, Catherine Taylor and Chief Executive Officer, Heather Verry.

Last year was significant for people with diabetes in New Zealand. After nearly seven years of advocacy, Pharmac announced in April that it was proposing to fully fund continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pumps, and insulin consumables for people living with type 1 diabetes.

This announcement was greeted with joy and relief by those who have been struggling to fund their devices, and those who have not been able to afford them.

Free access to these devices is not only life changing for thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes, but it is also lifesaving. This is more than just vital technology – it’s a lifeline to better health and greater freedom. Quite simply, it’s a game-changer.

As we know, type 1 diabetes affects different people in different ways so it was great to see that Pharmac recognised this by providing a choice of funded devices given there is no one CGM device or insulin pump technology that works for everyone. Despite these choices, some people were disappointed that not all devices currently being used by the diabetes community will be funded.

We acknowledge the power and support of the whole diabetes community in advocating for this funding over many years – clinicians, educators and health care professionals. We are indebted to the strong advocacy that’s also came from our diabetes community who shared their experiences and made a strong case for funding – we couldn’t have done it without them.

Although a time of celebration for the majority of type 1s, Diabetes NZ is committed to its campaign that was run this year – ‘CGM for all’ – which includes all people with diabetes on insulin.

We are pleased to report on some of our achievements through the Statement of Service Performance which forms the basis of the Annual Review. However, there are achievements which cannot be measured year on year but should form part of the Report.

We strengthened our partnerships with:

• the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes (NZSSD) – the clinical team supporting people with diabetes across the country. Joint initiatives included political advocacy and working with Pharmac during the roll out of the CGMs and pumps.

• NZ Child & Youth Clinical Network and Paediatric Society of NZ – who are represented on the Diabetes NZ Youth Forum, and in turn Diabetes NZ, is a member of the network representing people with lived experience.

• the Diabetes New Zealand Research Foundation (DNZRF) has a website with information about its objectives and the summer studentship programme that it supported over the summer period last year. Check out the website at www.dnzrf.org.nz. While DNZRF is still in start-up mode, it has plans to grow its capital base to have more grant funding available for diabetes research relevant to New Zealand conditions and our context.

• primary and community health providers, including Māori and Pacific providers, to strengthen and grow our Diabetes Community Coordinator roles. We now have a presence in eight regions of New Zealand working alongside primary health care workers to support people with diabetes to access health services and better manage their diabetes. Our Coordinators have also delivered Diabetes Self-Management Education Programmes with the support of local health professionals. The Coordinators working in the different regions pivot their support to align with local needs. The majority of our Coordinators are either Māori or Pacific peoples.

• AvSec (Aviation Security Service) to produce guidance on what to expect at airport security for 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.

• 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, 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.

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.’

THE ANNUAL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON THE DIABETES NZ WEBSITE