Bowel Screening Expansion Underway To Save More LivesHon Simeon BrownMinister of HealthFrom Monday, the starting age for free bowel screening will be lowered from 60 to 58 in Northland, Auckland, and the South Island, with the rest of the North Island to follow in March 2026, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “Earlier this year, I confirmed the Government’s commitment to lowering the bowel screening age to match Australia, so that fewer New Zealanders die from bowel cancer,” Mr Brown says. “This is the first significant step towards aligning New Zealand’s screening age with Australia. Notes:People turning 58, 59, or 60 will be mailed a bowel screening kit around their next birthday or contacted by their local health provider. Bowel screening is for people who have no symptoms of bowel cancer.