UPFRONT: Summer 2020

A marathon fundraiser

In September, a team from Diabetes NZ Rotorua Branch entered the Rotorua Marathon to raise money for Diabetes NZ on the everydayhero.com platform. Together, they raised more than $4,000.

Rotorua Branch co-ordinator Karen Reed trained hard for the event and entered it to celebrate her 40th aniversary with type 1 diabetes. Asked how she felt the morning after the marathon, she replied, “Sore!”

Congratulations, everyone, and thank you for this incredible effort.

Karen and fellow team member Nancy Farmer wait at the starting line to begin the marathon.

The duo makes it across the finish line.

2020 award winners

In October, Diabetes NZ was thrilled to announce the winners of our annual awards.

Every year, we grant a number of awards to recognise determined and hard-working people in our diabetes community.

JOHN MCLAREN YOUTH AWARDS

These awards offer a scholarship to young people living with diabetes who are aiming high in their chosen fields.

We received no applications for the cultural category this year, so we have granted two awards in the academic category. Our two academic awards go to Madeleine Lord and Matt Slemint. Both their applications were outstanding.

Our sports award goes to Yogya Mehra.

SIR CHARLES BURNS AWARD

This award is for people who have managed their diabetes for 50 years or more through insulin therapy. In 2020, we have five recipients:

• Margaret Barber: 51 years on insulin

• Gretchen Good: 50 years on insulin

• Paul Gravelle: 63 years on insulin

• David Myers: 51 years on insulin

• Elizabeth McKnight: 54 years on insulin

Congratulations!

Belle Burdon, winner of the John McLaren Sporting Youth Award in 2019

Diabetes NZ welcomes proposal to fund new type 2 medicines

In September this year, Pharmac released a proposal to fund two new medicines for type 2 diabetes: empagliflozin (Jardiance) and dulaglutide (Trulicity).

The funding of both treatments would be restricted to people with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk of heart and kidney complications.

Late last year, Diabetes NZ took a petition to Parliament and made a submission highlighting the need for a wider range of medicines to be made available to people living with type 2, and we drew attention to the valuable new classes of medication that are often available overseas.

We submitted that “Longterm complications from poorly controlled diabetes has a high health cost due to additional medications, regular screening, hospitalisation for various medical and surgical needs, outpatient appointments, and much more. If other classes of medication were available for people with type 2 diabetes, the risk and cost of these longterm complications would be reduced.”

After all our work in this area, we are very pleased that Pharmac has proposed to fund two new medicines. We have written to Pharmac in support of this proposal because it will significantly improve the outcomes for people with diabetes at risk of heart and kidney disease. It will also address equity in prescribing to at-risk Māori and Pacific people. We have sent Pharmac a range of recommendations for ensuring that, should these medicines get the go-ahead, they reach the people who most need them.

We note that, to date, Pharmac has not addressed our strong recommendations that CGM technology be funded for those living with type 1 diabetes.

NEW HEALTH ROLE

Diabetes NZ is thrilled to announce the appointment of Matire Ropiha to the new position of Diabetes Community Coordinator | Hauora Kaimahi.

Matire, from Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Atiawa, and Ngāti Haumia, brings a wealth of advocacy skills and experience to the role. However, she feels that, above all, what she offers is lived experience of type 2 diabetes.

Matire Ropiha, Diabetes Community Coordinator | Hauora Kaimahi

She says, “I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2008, which progressed to type 2 after I gave birth to our daughter.” Diabetes has also affected members of her family.

Based in Taranaki, Matire will liaise with iwi health organisations, diabetes youth, and various community groups. She will help those who are newly diagnosed to navigate health systems, as well as co-ordinate the diabetes self-management programme and provide ongoing support to people with diabetes. She also says it's important to make sure there is support for the support people.

This role fills an urgent gap in current diabetes care in Taranaki, and the hope is that, in time, more such roles will be able to be created and funded in other regions.

We look forward to hearing more from Matire in future issues of Diabetes Wellness.