Aaio

⚠️ Important Update: Changes to Insulin Availability in Aotearoa NZ.

There are changes happening to the availability of several insulin products in New Zealand, with multiple products being discontinued by the end of 2026.

These include:
🔹 PenMix 30 & Mixtard 30 – already phased out
🔹 3 mL vials of Actrapid & Protaphane
🔹 NovoMix 30 prefilled pens
🔹 10 mL vials of Humalog, Apidra, Humulin R, Humulin NPH & Humulin 30/70
These changes may particularly affect people who use syringes, insulin pumps, or require insulin in inpatient settings.

✅ Importantly, there is no change to the availability of other insulin products at this stage.

What should you do?
If you or someone you support uses one of the affected insulin products, don't wait until the last minute.
👉 Speak with your GP, diabetes specialist, pharmacist or diabetes team about whether you will need to change insulin and what the appropriate alternative is.
👉 Identify people who may be affected and make changes early — ideally before Christmas.
Please do not change or stop your insulin without discussing it with your healthcare professional.

📌 For the most up-to-date information, check Pharmac NZ and your healthcare provider, as insulin supply information can change.

Grateful to have Dexcom in our corner supporting our whānau living with diabetes.

We’re now offering a FREE CGM sensor pack for all new patients.
No finger pricks — just 24/7 continuous glucose monitoring for peace of mind, day and night.

Reminder: From today, the HbA1c for diagnosing diabetes is lowering from 50 mmol/mol to 48 mmol/mol.

The pre-diabetes range will change to 42–47 mmol/mol. That means some people who were previously told they did not have type 2 diabetes may now have a diagnosis due to the new HbA1c level being reduced; and others may no longer have pre-diabetes as the HbA1c level for diagnosis has gone up.

This is part of Health New Zealand’s new National Diabetes Roadmap and will allow more people to be identified earlier and brings New Zealand into line with other countries.

If you or someone in your whānau has pre-diabetes it would be good to check what these changes might mean next time you see your doctor or practice nurse. This change is about protecting the long-term health of our communities. Finding diabetes earlier means more time, more options, and more opportunities to stay well.

Read more: https://www.diabetes.org.nz/news-and-update/changes-to-hba1c-diagnostic-criteria

Pharmac is proposing:
To remove Māori and Pacific ethnicity as a reason to access diabetes medicstions like empagliflozin and GLP-1s and base access only on cardiovascular risk score.

Why it’s not good:
Risk scores don’t work. The standard risk calculator underestimates Māori/Pacific risk, so fewer of us would actually qualify, causing chronic complications, risks and ongoing barriers.

Sign the petition to make a stop to this proposal!

✊🏽 Stand up for equity in Māori health ✊🏽

Pharmac is proposing to remove Māori equity access criteria for important medicines used to treat diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease.

These medicines help prevent dialysis, amputations, heart attacks and early death for our whānau. ❤️

Te Tiratū has created a FREE submission template to make it easy for you to have your say.

👉 Download: https://tetiratu.co.nz/2026/05/25/whanau-encouraged-to-send-submissions-to-pharmac/
📝 Add your name
📧 Email it to Pharmac
⏰ Before 5pm, Thursday 28 May 2026

Every voice matters. Every submission counts.

Together we can tell Pharmac loud and clear that equity for Māori must stay ✊🏽

💜

It’s Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week 💛

Pregnancy and early parenthood can be beautiful — but they can also be overwhelming, exhausting, and lonely. And that’s more common than people think.

If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Support is out there, and it’s okay to ask for help.

Let’s check in on the parents around us this week — a message or small act of kindness can mean a lot.

To all the māmā and pāpā — you’re doing amazing mahi raising your pēpi. Never forget how incredible you are 💛

Can we just take a moment for this glucose graph?! 📉

This is what happens when education + knowledge about kai meets consistency.
🔹️Adian – you are AMAZING.
🔹️HbA1c slashed from 101 to 49. 🔹️Research-backed changes in action.

If you’ve been told it’s too late or too hard, this is your proof: change is possible.