Political Parties Agree Kidney Disease Needs To Be Found Earlier – Now We Need Action

Political parties across the spectrum agree New Zealand needs to find chronic kidney disease earlier, but Kidney Health New Zealand says acknowledgement of the problem is not new and the next government must turn that agreement into action.

Ahead of the 2026 general election, Kidney Health New Zealand asked political parties whether they supported earlier detection of chronic kidney disease in primary care, routine or targeted kidney testing for people at higher risk and long-term planning for future dialysis capacity and the renal workforce.

Every party agreed these three areas were important.

Kidney Health New Zealand General Manager Madi Keay said the consensus was hugely encouraging, but people working in kidney health had been raising the alarm about chronic kidney disease for years.

“We don't need another decade of agreeing that kidney disease is a problem. We need to actually change what happens,” Keay said.

“At least one in ten New Zealanders is affected by chronic kidney disease and many don't know they have it. We have treatments that can slow its progression, we know many of the people who are at higher risk and we have simple blood and urine tests that can help find it earlier.

“What we need now is a systematic approach that joins those things together.”

Kidney Health New Zealand wants chronic kidney disease recognised as a priority long-term health condition, alongside conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with earlier detection and kidney testing better integrated into primary care.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

“Improving access to primary care is important, but getting through the GP's door doesn't necessarily mean kidney disease will be found,” Keay said.

“Without a systematic approach to finding this silent disease, too many people will continue to be diagnosed after significant damage has already occurred.

“This needs to be a system-wide shift. Primary care teams are already stretched. They need the systems, pathways and resources to make kidney testing a routine part of care for people at higher risk, and to ensure people who are diagnosed can access treatment and support early.”

The call is echoed by the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology, which has asked political parties to formally recognise chronic kidney disease as a long-term condition, invest in screening and early detection in primary care and plan for future dialysis capacity and the renal workforce.

Work is already underway within Health New Zealand. Earlier this year, Health NZ publicly acknowledged underfunding of renal care in some parts of the country and said a national renal replacement plan was being developed to assess demand, reduce variation and identify where investment was needed.

Health NZ said at the time it hoped to release the plan publicly during 2026. Keay said the cross-party consensus on kidney health should add urgency to that work.

“We know work has been done. What we need now is to see the plan, understand the investment needed to deliver it and have a commitment from the next government to get on with it.”

In May, a report by the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) showed dialysis services at or beyond capacity in Aotearoa.

Keay said the election responses gave the next government a clear starting point.

“Prevention and planning have to happen together,” Keay said. “Political parties agree that finding kidney disease earlier matters. That's good news. Now we need to turn that agreement into action. Find it earlier. Treat it earlier. Plan for what comes next.”

NOTES:

Around one in ten New Zealanders has some form of kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease can progress without obvious symptoms, meaning many people do not know they have it.

The 2025 ANZDATA/ANZSN Haemodialysis Capacity Survey, released in May 2026, found an average of 4.53 people receiving maintenance haemodialysis for every machine in New Zealand. Four patients per machine is considered usual capacity. Half of New Zealand renal services were operating above that level, with Auckland highest at six patients per machine, or 150% of usual capacity.

The latest ANZDATA New Zealand data shows 3,421 people were living on dialysis in 2025, up from 3,311 in 2024.

In Auckland, pressure on dialysis services has resulted in additional shifts, with some patients finishing treatment as late as 11pm.

Health New Zealand says there are usually more than 400 people on the active waiting list for a deceased-donor kidney transplant, while around 100 kidneys from deceased donors become available each year.

Earlier this year, Health New Zealand said it was developing a national renal replacement plan to assess demand, reduce variation and identify where investment was needed, and that it hoped to release the plan publicly during 2026.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading