Join our psychiatrist-led GP supervision group, offering confidential supervision of difficult cases. The group is suited to GPs who are managing high volumes of mental health presentations and have become the go-to mental health doctor at their practice, whether by design or by default, or are looking to strengthen their mental health literacy. Tuesdays at 4.30pm, every four weeks for one year, starting 2 June.

General practices are invited to take part in the National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) May primary care promotion to increase bowel screening participation among under-screened groups and improve patient outcomes. The May campaigns in 2023, 2024 and 2025 were highly successful, increasing kit requests among under-screened groups. This year’s promotion aims to build on that success and drive even greater participation. Register now to access free resources and participate in the campaign.

The Diabetes National Clinical Network has issued updated HbA1c diagnostic thresholds to align New Zealand reporting with global standards and to support improved patient outcomes. The following changes were implemented by Pathlab on Wednesday 22 April, ahead of the Ministry of Health deadline of 1 July 2026.

Pathlab is now able to offer FIB-4 Index as a requestable test. The FIB-4 Index is used to assess the risk of liver fibrosis in patients with Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (but is not appropriate for other causes of liver disease). If using Pathlab Éclair orders, please go to the additional tab and search “FIB-4.”

In consultation with endocrinologists and paediatricians, Pathlab has recently updated reference intervals for FT3. This aligns Pathlab with Waikato Hospital Laboratory and LabPlus and includes more appropriate intervals for young paediatric patients.

Health Accelerator has partnered with PenTest NZ to offer general practices a 25 per cent discount on an independent cyber security assessment — around $1,000 off for most practices. With increased scrutiny following recent primary care cyber incidents, this is a practical way to identify risks and demonstrate responsible cyber risk management. The discount is available until 31 July 2026.

Taranaki now has a dedicated sexual health contact tracer. Rose Heron is based at the Sexual Health Clinic on Powderham Street and is available to support free follow-up for patients who have tested positive for STIs and consented to contact. Referrals are welcome via email.

Te Whatu Ora is surveying health professionals across aged residential care, general practice, ambulance, community, and hospital settings about their confidence in providing palliative and end-of-life care. Your experiences will help identify workforce strengths, gaps, and priorities for future education and support. The survey is open until Friday 1 May 2026.

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners supports research and education that benefits general practice, rural general practice and rural hospital medicine through three funding rounds each year. Applications for the second funding round of 2026 open 22 April.

The age for free breast screening is being extended - starting with women who turned 70 and 74 from 1 October 2025. The age range will continue to be extended each year in October, to include all eligible women up to the age of 74 by the end of 2029.