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Speaker 1: The new report from the Cancer Control Agency reckons the

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Speaker 1: number of people diagnosed in this country with cancer is

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Speaker 1: going to double in the next two decades. More than

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Speaker 1: half of these cases, more than half completely preventable if

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Speaker 1: people would just eat healthier, exercise more, stop drinking and

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Speaker 1: put down the fags. Health Minister Simeon Brown is with

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Speaker 1: me now, evening, Minister, good evening. So in terms of

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Speaker 1: the increase, is this because we're going to have more

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Speaker 1: people therefore we'll have more people being diagnosed or is

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Speaker 1: the rate actually going to increase?

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Speaker 2: So if you look at the incident's incident rate, it's

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Speaker 2: effectively that has flatlined over the last twenty years. If

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Speaker 2: you look at the report and actually slightly decreased. What

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Speaker 2: we've got, though, is we've got an aging population and

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Speaker 2: a growing population. So this increase in the number of

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Speaker 2: cancer diagnoses is primarily being driven by a growing elderly

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Speaker 2: population and also a growing population. That's what's driving the increase,

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Speaker 2: and that's why we have to continue to invest to

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Speaker 2: ensure that we have more access to cancer treatments, cancer medicines,

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Speaker 2: diagnoses and all of the things that this report is highlighted.

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Speaker 1: Right, So it's not like there's a whole bunch of

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Speaker 1: new scary cancers on the horizon around the corner.

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Speaker 2: No, not at all. That's not what that report is saying.

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Speaker 2: Report is very clearly saying that as we have an

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Speaker 2: aging population and a growing population, there's going to be

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Speaker 2: more people getting more people are getting cancer, but the

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Speaker 2: actual incident rate isn't what's driving that increase. And so

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Speaker 2: as a government, we're very focused on making sure expanding

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Speaker 2: access to cancer medicines, expanding access to testing, diagnoses, and

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Speaker 2: all of those treatments that are required so that people

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Speaker 2: can get that access that they need.

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Speaker 1: Half the cases are preventable smoking, eating badly, not exercising,

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Speaker 1: drinking booze, and yet we still do it.

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Speaker 2: Well, look, at the end of the day, people make choices.

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Speaker 2: But I think what this report highlights is the impact

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Speaker 2: of people's choices, and people do need to take element

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Speaker 2: of personal responsibility, and so I think it does highlight

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Speaker 2: the importance of you know, of all of those all

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Speaker 2: of those factors, and the importance and moderation. But look, ultimately,

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Speaker 2: people people do make choices in their day to day lives.

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Speaker 2: So I'm not here to judge people's individual choices. But

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Speaker 2: it's also really important that we do highlight that people

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Speaker 2: are aware of that and obviously they can then make

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Speaker 2: decisions as to how they live their lives in order

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Speaker 2: to live a healthier life and to produce their own

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Speaker 2: risk of contracting cancer.

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Speaker 1: Do you have it? Do you personally think about do

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Speaker 1: you worry about getting cancer? I mean you're not a

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Speaker 1: big drinker, a smoker, or you know you're not going

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Speaker 1: through KFC drive through every second day, are you, Minister?

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Speaker 2: No, not at all, not at all. But look, I mean,

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Speaker 2: as the Minister of Health, I've been in the role

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Speaker 2: now for you know, ten eleven months. I must say

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Speaker 2: my own mortality is something I think a lot more

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Speaker 2: about them than I did in previous roles because of

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Speaker 2: obviously the topics. But look, cancer is a really important

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Speaker 2: issue for so many New Zealanders. Everyone knows someone who's

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Speaker 2: either been diagnosed, or they've lost a loved one, or

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Speaker 2: they maybe may going through that need themselves. What's important

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Speaker 2: as the government is that we are really focused on

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Speaker 2: improving cancer outcomes. The report does highlight that we are

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Speaker 2: seeing improved outcomes here in New Zealand, though we have

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Speaker 2: a lot more work to do.

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Speaker 1: We certainly do. Minister appreciate your time tonight. Thank you,

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Speaker 1: Simmy and Brown the Health Minister. For more from Heather

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