- Hon David Seymour
Associate Health Minister David Seymour welcomes the summary report on Pharmac's progress against his 2024/25 Letter of Expectations (LoE).
"For many New Zealanders, funding for pharmaceuticals is life or death, or the difference between a life of pain and suffering or living freely," Mr Seymour says.
"My expectation is that Pharmac should have strong processes so patients, their families, and clinicians, can have a say in decisions. This is part of the ACT-National Coalition Agreement.
"My expectation is also clear that Pharmac should publish measurable performance metrics to increase transparency. We are creating a culture at Pharmac which keeps consumers in the loop, because that's important to them.
"It's clear Pharmac's culture is changing. Last week Pharmac published their first 90-day report on progress against the five-year Reset Programme. In July, they published a summary of progress on implementing the recommendations of the 2022 Independent Pharmac Review. In March they published the Consumer Engagement Workshop Report. The feedback from consumer advocates on this approach is positive."
The summary report outlines Pharmac's progress across 21 expectations in the 2024/25 LoE. As of October 2025, 8 expectations have been fully completed including:
- Proactively publishing material of public interest, and establishing a monthly consumer update forum. This forum gives consumers the opportunity to hear from Pharmac's Senior Leadership Team and provide feedback following independent engagement workshops.
- Accelerated efforts to collaborate with health sector partners, including the establishment of the Health Sector Implementation Group and the Sector Equity Working Group.
- Regularly reporting to track organisational culture and stakeholder sentiment, supported by quarterly and annual performance measures.
- Continued review of statutory objectives and functions, with proactive engagement on legislative updates and medical technology procurement.
- Strengthened consumer participation in decision-making, regular consultation with advisory groups, and improved transparency of clinical advice records.
"For the first time Pharmac has its own Minister. While still a work in progress, for the first time in years Pharmac is genuinely moving in the right direction. For example, five years ago many of the Medicines Summit attendees would have been picketing outside Pharmac. This year, they were having genuine conversations with each other and Pharmac's leadership about how to deliver the best service for Kiwis," Mr Seymour says.
"The Government is doing its part. Last year we allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift to give Pharmac the financial support it needs to carry out its functions - negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders."
The full report can be found here - https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/publications/corporate-publications/letter-of-expectations/letter-of-expectations-progress-update-november-2025
