The National Diabetes Roadmap 2026

What It Means for People Living with Diabetes in Aotearoa

The long-awaited National Diabetes Roadmap has been released by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – and it marks an important shift in how (hopefully!) some of the drivers of diabeets and its complications are understood and addressed.

At its core, this roadmap acknowledges something many people living with diabetes already know:

Diabetes is not just an individual issue – it’s a system issue.

> Read the Roadmap publication for yourself

 

The current reality – Diabetes in Aotearoa New Zealand

Right now, more than 348,000 people in New Zealand are living with diabetes, and that number is expected to rise to over 500,000 by 2040.

Alongside this, the cost to the health system – already around $2.1 billion per year – is projected to nearly double.

But the impact goes far beyond numbers.

The roadmap clearly highlights that:

• Māori, Pacific, and Indian communities experience earlier onset
• There are higher rates of complications and hospitalisation
• Outcomes are significantly worse due to systemic inequities

This isn’t new information – but it seems to now be more formally recognised as something that requires urgent, coordinated action.

A shift in thinking from individual responsibility to system responsibility

One of the most important messages in the Roadmap is this:

Diabetes cannot be managed through individual effort alone.

This represents a meaningful shift away from blame and toward understanding the broader picture:

• Access to care
• Quality of care
• Socioeconomic conditions
• Food environments
• Cultural safety
• Health system design

In other words, the conditions that shape health – not just the choices people make.

Five key action areas

The roadmap focuses on five major areas for change:

1. Stronger leadership

A national diabetes network and oversight group will guide decision-making, investment, and accountability.

2. Earlier intervention

A stronger focus on:

• Preventing progression
• Supporting people earlier
• Improving follow-up (especially after gestational diabetes)

3. Better access to care

Including:

• More screening (eyes, feet)
• Support for remission in type 2 diabetes
• Improved access to medications and technologies (like CGMs)

4. Workforce and technology

Investment in:

• Diabetes specialists
• Kaiāwhina and community workforce
• Digital tools to support care and reduce admin burden

5. Addressing the drivers of diabetes

This goes beyond healthcare into:

• Food systems
• Income and food security
• School and workplace environments
• Public health policy

This is where the roadmap starts to move upstream – toward prevention at a more societal level.

Summary / What stands out (for me!)

A few key signals from the roadmap:

• Equity is actually still central, despite ongoing changing political nuance
• Community-led solutions matter
• Early action is critical
• Technology will play a bigger role
• The system itself needs to change

There’s also recognition that New Zealand has been underdiagnosing diabetes, and aligning HbA1c thresholds with international standards will likely identify more people earlier.

>> More on HbA1c Diagnostic Changes

Reasons for (perhaps cautious) optimism

Some progress is already underway:

• Community-led models of care (especially for Pacific communities)
• Expanded prescribing roles for nurses
• Pilot programmes improving access to retinal screening
• Growing recognition of the kaiāwhina workforce

These are encouraging signs – but they are just the beginning.

A reality check

The roadmap is honest about the scale of the challenge:

This is a long-term, system-wide change effort.

Success will depend on:

• Follow-through
• Funding decisions
• Workforce growth
• Genuine partnership with communities

A roadmap alone doesn’t change outcomes- but it can set direction.

What this means for people living with diabetes

If implemented well, this roadmap could mean:

• Earlier diagnosis and support
• Better access to tools and treatments
• More culturally appropriate care
• Reduced complications over time

But in the short term, many people may not feel immediate change.

And that’s important to acknowledge.

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The National Diabetes Roadmap is, ultimately, a commitment:

• To act earlier
• To work differently
• To centre people and whānau

It sets a clear and necessary direction.

The next phase – implementation – will be critical. Direction alone will not change outcomes unless it is matched by clear expectations for delivery. This includes how quality of care is defined, how variation is reduced, and how progress is measured in ways that reflect real improvements in people’s lives.

For us people living with diabetes, change cannot be implemented by strategy documents, nor evaluated simply through clinical indicators, and reporting of datasets. Our lived experience is key:

• How easy it is to access care
• Whether support is consistent across regions
• Whether care feels coordinated, timely, and culturally safe

So embedding robust evaluation, transparent reporting, and nationally consistent standards will be essential to ensure that this effort translates into impact.

The roadmap indicates intent. We have to acknowledge that. But delivering on the intent (at scale, and equitably) will ultimately define its success.

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Published: March 2026

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Links to related Diabetes Info NZ pages

>> Standards and Guidelines

 

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YOUR DIABETES HEALTHCARE
Annual Review
Medication and Supplies
Types of Insulin
Lab Tests
The HbA1c Test
Changes to HbA1c Diagnostic Criteria
Eye Examinations
Standards and Guidelines
Support and Advocacy

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