About the National Bowel Screening Programme
The National Bowel Screening Programme provides screening to people aged 58 to 74 years across most of the country. MidCentral District will introduce the lower starting age in coming months.
Bowel cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death in Aotearoa New Zealand. More than 3,300 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year and more than 1,200 die from it.
The screening test picks up bowel cancer in 7 out of 10 people who have it at the time of screening. At least 40% of the cancers detected are early stage when they can often be successfully treated.
Free bowel screening test kits are posted to eligible people every 2 years. Locally, districts raise awareness of bowel screening and encourage people to take part and provide diagnostic services such as colonoscopy.
Improving equity in accessing the programme
The participation rate for Māori, Pacific and Asian people is currently much lower than the overall participation rate.
The programme promotes equitable participation in a number of ways, including targeting actions to increase participation in bowel screening for Māori, Pacific and Asian and high deprivation population groups. It also supports networks to encourage more participation among groups with lower screening rates and monitors participation and outcomes by ethnicity.
Programme structure
The National Bowel Screening Programme was rolled out between July 2017 and May 2022, following a successful pilot offering bowel screening to eligible people aged 50 to 74 years living in the Waitematā DHB area. Data collected during the pilot provided vital information on:
- participation levels
- cancer detection rates
- the impact on health services.
It also helped inform decisions about the national programme.
Today, the National Bowel Screening Programme sits within Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service. Health NZ districts carry out screening locally, on behalf of the National Bowel Screening Programme. Districts:
- provide free follow-up investigations such as colonoscopy and other treatments
- raise awareness
- encourage eligible people to take part.
Whakarongorau | National Coordination Centre
Whakarongorau | National Coordination Centre sends letters to people if they:
- return a negative faecal immunochemical test (FIT)
- return a spoilt kit
- request a replacement kit.
They also make follow-up phone calls and are the contact point (freephone and e-mail) for potential participants and health professionals who have questions about the programme.
LabPLUS
LabPLUS provides laboratory services for the National Bowel Screening Programme.
Lowering the screening age
The starting age for bowel screening began to be lowered to 58 (from 60) in October 2025 and is now available to people from this age across most of the country. MidCentral District will introduce the lower starting age in coming months.
Modelling estimates that lowering the bowel screening age to 58 will prevent 771 additional bowel cancers and 566 additional deaths over 25 years when compared to the 60 to 74 age range. Currently, modelling estimates that bowel screening will prevent over 15,000 bowel cancers and nearly 11,000 bowel cancer deaths over 25 years.
Lowering the age to 58 means that about 100,000 more people will be eligible for screening over the first year than for the 60 to 74 age range.
Planning and advisory groups
- Māori Monitoring and Equity Group
- Te Aho o Te Kahu | Cancer Control Agencyexternal link
- National Bowel Cancer Working Group
- National Bowel Screening Programme Partnership Equity and Action Group
- National Bowel Screening Programme Clinical Oversight Group
- National Bowel Screening Programme Colonoscopy Quality Assurance Group
- Prevention Leadership Team