Aotearoa New Zealand needs to broaden access to adult vaccines and address inequities in vaccine-preventable disease, according to infectious disease and immunisation specialists.
In the latest Public Health Expert Briefing, Professor Nikki Turner and Dr Joan Ingram say that New Zealand is falling behind comparable countries in funding vaccines that protect adults against shingles, pneumococcal disease and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The authors compare NZ’s adult immunisation programme with those of Australia and England. They identify substantial gaps in funded vaccine access and warn that the current funding approach may not adequately recognise the wider benefits of vaccination.
Professor Turner of the University of Auckland says NZ needs to reconsider how it funds adult immunisation to ensure people can access effective vaccines and prevent avoidable illness.
“Vaccines prevent disease and can deliver substantial benefits beyond the individual receiving them. NZ needs to consider whether our current approach to vaccine funding is adequately recognising these wider benefits,” says Professor Turner.
In NZ, the shingles vaccine Shingrix is funded universally only for people receiving the first dose during the 12 months after their 65th birthday, with limited eligibility across broader ages for some immunocompromised adults. Pneumococcal vaccines are funded for some adults with specific high-risk conditions but are not routinely funded based on age alone. Adult RSV vaccination is not funded.
By comparison, Australia and England fund a broader age group for the shingles vaccines, and the newer pneumococcal vaccines and RSV vaccination for eligible older adults.
The Briefing also highlights substantial inequities in vaccine-preventable disease in NZ. In 2025, invasive pneumococcal disease rates among Māori and Pacific adults aged 50 years and older were three to five times those of non-Māori/non-Pacific populations.
Unlike Australia, NZ does not routinely provide earlier age-based access to vaccines for populations experiencing a higher burden of vaccine-preventable disease. The authors recommend considering younger eligibility ages for Māori and Pacific peoples for influenza and pneumococcal vaccination.
Pharmac assesses vaccines alongside other medicines within a constrained budget. However, Prof Turner says vaccines are public health interventions with broad health gains, both direct and indirect, and should be assessed differently from medicines that treat established illness.
“NZ needs to further review its adult immunisation programme, broaden access to effective vaccines and ensure funding decisions better reflect both the benefits of prevention and the unequal burden of vaccine-preventable disease,” says Prof Turner.