Highlights National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) successes and identifies key areas that will further strengthen the programme.

Executive summary

The National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) has been highly successful in reducing the incidence of and mortality from cervical cancer. From 1991, when the NCSP commenced, to 2011, cervical cancer mortality declined from 6.2 to 2.4 per 100,000 for all women, and from 13.0 to 5.4 per 100,000 for Māori women. Between 1996 and 2012, cervical cancer incidence declined from 10.5 to 6.2 per 100,000 for women of all ethnicities, and from 25.0 to 12.7 per 100,000 for Māori women (NSU 2014a).

The many high-quality achievements and initiatives of the NCSP, clinicians and staff working within the programme since its inception must be acknowledged. The NCSP is among the most successful cervical cancer screening programmes in the world, and this achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of many people. This commitment to ensuring New Zealand women have access to a high-quality cervical screening programme includes the regular, ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the programme’s performance as well as open and transparent reviews such as the one delivered with this report. The New Zealand Government and all staff working within the programme are to be congratulated.