Who We Are

This year, 650 New Zealanders will die of breast cancer. But they don’t need to. Together, we can change that.

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is New Zealand’s specialist breast cancer organisation. 

We empower communities with education, fund ground-breaking research and innovation, provide compassionate patient support, and advocate for change so more New Zealanders with breast cancer can live and live well.

Every day, ten New Zealanders are diagnosed, but together, we can make zero deaths a reality.

At our core, our vision is bold and unwavering: zero deaths from breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. This isn’t just an aspiration; it’s an achievable goal grounded in evidence and action. Every year, over 3,700 New Zealanders are diagnosed, and around 650 lives are lost, but they don’t need to be. By closing gaps in access, equity and speed, more people will live.

This relentless, impact‑driven approach has already reduced deaths by 40% since 1994.

As an independent, evidence-based NGO, we're trusted by the health sector, clinicians, women with breast cancer, and their whānau: combining what patients experience with what the system needs to know to shape practical solutions.

We operate across five programmes of work:

1. Education and Awareness

Every cancer found early helps keep families and communities whole. Through our Breast Nurse Educators, Pink Campervans, and breast health campaigns and resources, we encourage New Zealanders to know their normal, get screened, and act on change without delay. It's our earliest, most powerful chance to ensure mums, sisters, aunts and daughters are diagnosed early, where breast cancers are most curable.

2. Research and innovation

We partner with global and local experts to identify and solve critical problems driving avoidable deaths. Each year we invest more than $1.9 million into research, clinical trials and reports to guide treatment planning and delivery within the health system. As the largest funder of breast cancer research outside of Government, we’re leading breakthroughs for a future free from breast cancer deaths.

3. Patient Support

Breast cancer changes everything, and no one should face it alone. Our Nurse Advice Line receives more than 10,000 calls every year and our Breast Nurse Specialists are there to support patients and whānau from diagnosis onward, with practical help, information, and connection to the services and supports they need.

4. Advocacy

Survival shouldn't come down to luck, financial resources, location, or how hard a family must fight for it. We take the evidence, and the real stories behind it, straight to decision-makers. Our sustained advocacy has led to the free mammogram age being raised to 74 and secured funding for several key medicines. But we’re not done. It now drives our calls for enhanced screening, digital pathology, and faster access to life-saving medicines.

5. Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - the Breast Cancer Foundation National Register

You can’t change what you can’t see. Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - the Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, holds anonymous data of more than 60,000 New Zealanders diagnosed with breast cancer since 2000. This rich treasure gives doctors and researchers the evidence to understand what's really happening, and to whom. It's this data that reveals the inequities driving avoidable deaths and underpins the policies we push for.

We save lives by ensuring earlier diagnosis, where cancer is more curable, and faster and fairer access to the treatment New Zealanders need to live.

• All New Zealanders – with education about breast awareness, screening mammograms, breast cancer risk and breast health, with a particular focus on reaching people in remote areas and communities that face barriers to breast health services or experience poorer outcomes
• People with breast cancer – with support services and information for patients, their families and friends
• Health professionals – with information resources for GP and hospital clinics, continuing education for GPs, and training for medical specialists and breast care nurses
• Researchers and scientists – by sharing our priorities, and supporting new research and clinical trials in areas that will make a real difference
• Government – by advocating and informing government agencies about current issues in breast cancer treatment
• Breast cancer interest groups – with assistance to breast cancer support groups throughout New Zealand.

It's the international symbol of breast cancer and trademarked to Breast Cancer Foundation NZ in New Zealand. October is International Breast Cancer Awareness Month – our breast health awareness messages peak at this time of year. A large percentage of our work is funded by donations received each October, from community fundraising events and the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal.

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is a member of the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand and adheres to ethical fundraising practices. Its annual financial statements are prepared by Deloitte and audited by HLB Mann Judd Ltd chartered accountants.