Standing on the steps of Parliament
Blood Cancer CEO, Tim Edmonds, addresses the crowd
Brain tumour patients and advocates joined other members of The Forbidden Pharmacy campaign to present an open letter to politicians on the steps of Parliament on Tuesday 22nd September 2026.
The letter, which has gained over 10,000 signatures, calls on the leaders of all the political parties to commit to increasing the medicines budget in their 2026 election policies. There are over 600,000 New Zealanders waiting for medicines which have been assessed and recommended by Pharmac to be publicly funding but which sit on the Options for Investment list awaiting government funding.
(L to R) Lina McManus, Chris Tse, Alice Chambers Smith
Brain Tumour Support NZ is one of 17 not-for-profit organisations which form The Forbidden Pharmacy campaign, so-called because it highlights over 200 medicines which are “locked away” out of reach of ordinary New Zealanders who need them.
It was a wet and windy Wellington morning which greeted our hardy band of supporters on the Parliament forecourt on Tuesday morning.
BTSNZ trustee Chris Tse said: “It was a privilege to stand alongside brain tumour patients and family members in the sleeting Wellington rain to deliver this important message to our politicians. The message is clear: NZ sits last in the OECD when it comes to the public funding of modern medicines and New Zealanders are paying for it with their lives and livelihoods.”
Breast cancer patient and advocate Amanda Broughton
Blood Cancer NZ CEO, Tim Edmonds, delivered the open letter on behalf of The Forbidden Pharmacy organisations. Tim called upon the politicians to act now to address the medicines spending shortfall before more patient lives were lost. Breast cancer patient and advocate Amanda Broughton spoke with passion and humility in describing what access to modern medicines would mean for her.
Responding for the political parties were: Health Minister Hon. Simeon Brown (National), Hon. Dr Ayesha Verrall (Labour), Hon. David Seymour (ACT), Hon. Winston Peters (NZ First), Ricardo Menendes March (Greens) and Jessica Hammand (The Opportunities Party).
As things stand, ACT is the only party which has released a policy to address the medicines funding gap with Australia. Other parties acknowledge the need for greater funding but have not come up with specific policies to increase the pharmaceuticals budget.
