National Bowel & Breast Screening Programme
Encouraging patient participation
Breast and bowel cancer screening in New Zealand are delivered through national programmes overseen by Te Whatu Ora. Most invitations and reminders are sent directly to patients, with general practices supporting awareness and follow-up care.
Screening Eligibility
Breast screening
- People aged 45–69 eligible for publicly funded health care
- Free screening mammogram every 2 years
-
Delivered through BreastScreen Aotearoa
Bowel screening
- People aged around 60–74 eligible for publicly funded health care (age range dropping to 58 from March 2026)
- Free home bowel screening test every 2 years
- Delivered through the National Bowel Screening Programme
Who contacts patients?
For both breast and bowel screening:
- Te Whatu Ora manages the national screening programmes
- Patients are usually invited or sent information directly by the screening programme
- In some cases, local healthcare providers may also contact eligible patients to support participation
The role of the general practice
General practices play a supporting and trusted role, alongside the national programmes.
Practices may:
- Encourage eligible patients to take part in screening
- Provide information and answer questions
- Reassure patients about what screening involves
- Support patients who are unsure whether they are eligible or have received an invitation
- Provide clinical follow-up and ongoing care if a screening result is positive
Example: encouraging patient participation
Practices may choose to send general health encouragement messages to increase screening uptake.
Example SMS
Your GP team at [Practice name] supports the national breast and bowel screening programmes. If you receive an invitation or screening kit, we encourage you to take part. Screening can find cancer early, even before symptoms. Learn more at timetoscreen.nz
This page is provided for general information only. While we aim to keep content accurate and up to date, we do not guarantee completeness or accuracy. Screening programmes, eligibility, and delivery may change. For the most current and official information, please refer to Te Whatu Ora at info.health.nz.