More New Zealanders could benefit from funded vaccines from 2027

Pharmac is proposing changes that would give more New Zealanders access to funded vaccines from 2027, including expanded access to the flu vaccine for young children.

The proposal includes changing the brands of funded meningococcal ACWY, pneumococcal, and influenza vaccines; and widening access to the influenza vaccine to all children from 6 months up to 5 years (6-59 months inclusive). The pneumococcal vaccine brand change also means there would be greater coverage for some people against the different types of pneumococcal bacteria.

Pharmac’s Director Pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin, says if the proposal is approved, around 260,000 children would be eligible for a funded flu vaccine for the first time.

“This would help hundreds of thousands of young children and their whānau to be protected from serious illness,” she says.

Currently, the flu vaccine is funded for people aged 65 years and over, and for people under 65 with certain health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness.

The influenza vaccine would change brands to two new vaccines that would provide increased protection for people aged over 65 years, and at-risk people under 65 as well all children from 6 months up to 5 years (6-59 months inclusive).  

Overall, Pharmac has reached provisional agreements for the supply of 17 funded vaccines and one diagnostic test and expects more than 1.5 million people to receive the vaccines in this proposal in the first year of funding.

“The proposal also includes widening access to a pneumococcal vaccine to help prevent people who have already had a serious infection from getting it again,” says Martin. “For the approximately 700 people each year who would be eligible for this vaccine this would provide much needed reassurance and protection.”

Ministry of Health Deputy Director General for the Public Health Agency, Dr Andrew Old, says expanding access to vaccines helps protect more people and communities from serious illness.

“Immunisation is one of the most effective ways to reduce severe illness, hospitalisation, and the spread of infectious diseases. Widening access to vaccines means more New Zealanders can benefit from that protection,” he says.

All vaccines used in NZ must be assessed by Medsafe and meet rigorous safety standards.

“Approving these new vaccines and publicly funding them means we can continue to strengthen our defences against flu each season,” says Old.

“It’s also important that people continue to get the flu vaccine available now to protect themselves and their whānau this winter.”

Pharmac is now consulting with the public, health professionals, and suppliers and will make a final decision after considering all feedback received.

Consultation is open until 5pm, Friday 19 June. Feedback can be emailed to vaccines@pharmac.govt.nz or submitted using the online form linked in the consultation.

If approved, the influenza vaccine changes would come into effect from the start of the 2027 influenza season on 1 April 2027, with changes to meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines from 1 July 2027.