New Zealand
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to some incredible people and organisations fighting hard for the endo community, but the healthcare system? That's a different story.
Whether you're newly diagnosed, years into your journey, or still waiting to be believed, this page is your starting point. Real information, real organisations, real voices. If you have anything you'd like to add, correct or change on this page, please feel free to email me at endoenduranceproject@gmail.com
Navigating Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora
Charities & Organisations
Lived & Personal Expereinces
Navigating Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora
The sad reality is that New Zealand is falling behind.
Let's not sugarcoat it. New Zealand's healthcare system is struggling to serve people with endometriosis. The average wait time for a diagnosis of endometriosis in New Zealand is about 10 years. A decade of pain, dismissal and fighting to be believed before someone officially confirms what your body has been telling you.
Patients who were dismissed by doctors had a significantly longer delay to diagnosis of 9 years on average, compared to 4.6 years for those who were believed. In other words: being dismissed delays care by years. The average number of GPs that endometriosis patients in New Zealand had seen before diagnosis is 4.8. Almost five different doctors before someone listened.
What the Public System Will (and Won't) Fund
Currently, the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopic surgery. The waiting times for surgery in are notoriusly long and hard to get onto. Some women report waiting for over two years for only a specialist apppointment, not the actual surgery itself.Â
Non-invasive scans that are often used to assist diagnosis, like advanced ultrasounds or MRIs, are not widely available through NZ's public health system and they are expensive. It's hard to get the system to pay for an MRI - in my home town, one MRI costs more than $2000NZD. During my own journey, I needed three MRIs within one year, I was lucky enough to be able to travel overseas where they cost under $600NZD privately.
The public gynaecology waitlist is one of the most significant barriers for endo patients in New Zealand. Provisional data from Health NZ showed almost 500 patients on the Obstetrics and Gynaecology wait list had been waiting longer than the recommended four months for their first specialist appointment.
If you're going through the public system for surgery, MRIs or any other imaging, be prepared to wait!
Access to hormonal treatments, a cornerstone of symptom management, are inconsistent and often expensive. Some treatments that are fully funded in other countries are only partially subsidised or not subsidised at all through Pharmac. Desogestrel (Cerazette), a progestogen treatment, was only considered for Pharmac funding in April 2025.
The GP Problem
A 2024 survey of 185 New Zealand GPs found that only 52% considered themselves to know enough about endometriosis for their routine practice. Despite 65% being aware of the 2020 endometriosis diagnosis guidelines, only 35% had actually read them.
Your GP is the gatekeeper to specialist care and if they don't know the signs or aren't up to date on guidelines, your path to diagnosis gets longer and harder. Self-advocacy and understanding about your condition is the key to navigating these situations. Learning how to be a "good" patient could be the different between a four month wait or a four year wait.Â
What New Zealand Still Doesn't Have
Australia launched its National Action Plan for Endometriosis in 2018. It led to 33 dedicated endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, Medicare funding for specialist MRI scans and a coordinated national approach to diagnosis and care. New Zealand has none of this.
Auckland gynaecologist Dr Michael Wynn-Williams has stated publicly that when it comes to endometriosis, New Zealand's healthcare system is "standing still," especially when compared to the progress made across the Tasman.
In better news, New Zealanders have access to Australian medical care under their subclass 444 visa. While it takes considerable resources to make an international move, it is an option for kiwi women at the end of their teather.Â
Feeling Lost & Unsupported?
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Charities & Organisations
The people showing up for the NZ endo community,
who they are, what they actually do and how to reach them.
Endometriosis New Zealand (ENZ)
Endometriosis New Zealand is Aotearoa's longest-standing national endometriosis organisation. They provide support, advocacy, education, research and awareness across the country. They are the closest thing NZ has to an official voice for the endo community.
What they do
ENZ is the go-to for evidence-based information about endometriosis. From understanding stages and symptoms, to treatment options, managing endo day-to-day, adenomyosis, fertility and beyond. Their website is a great resource hub.
They run a "My Story" community forum where people can share their experiences and they have an active blog with real news and updates on endo research, policy and funding.
ENZ has been central to advocacy efforts pushing for a National Endometriosis Action Plan in New Zealand, something the country still does not have as of 2026, despite Australia having had one since 2018.
In 2025/26, ENZ partnered with the University of Canterbury on a major national research project studying the barriers and facilitators to endometriosis management in Aotearoa. If you have endo, contributing your voice to that research matters.
They also run a workplace programme to help employers better support staff living with endometriosis.
What to expect
ENZ is informative and advocacy-driven. Their website is detailed and well-maintained. For peer-to-peer emotional support, they direct people to their forum and partner organisations. However, they are not a clinical service.
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Insight Endometriosis
Insight Endometriosis is a nationwide charity focused on empowering people to make informed decisions about their own treatment and management. They are particularly well-regarded for their direct, human approach. You can actually talk to a human being.
What they do
Insight connect with you by Zoom, phone, email or social media. Based in Hamilton, you can also visit them in-person. They take the time you need - they explicitly state they don't watch the clock - avoiding that pressure we all know too well when you only have 15 minutes to describe incredibly complex and life-altering experiences.
They produce free downloadable information guides covering a wide range of endo-related topics, available through their info hub. These are practical, accessible resources you can actually use.
They customise their support to your individual situation, whether you're just starting to suspect endometriosis, freshly diagnosed, years in and looking at surgical options or navigating fertility questions.
What to expect
Warm, patient and genuinely personalised support. Not a call centre. A real person who has capacity to actually listen.
Website | Facebook | InstagramÂ
info@insightendometriosis.org.nz
Endo Warriors Aotearoa
Endo Warriors Aotearoa is a grassroots charity run by people who live with endometriosis. They focus on practical, compassionate support alongside community education and period poverty relief.
What they do
Peer support connections, easy-to-access resources, advocacy tools and guidance, emotional support for individuals and whanau. They also deliver free menstrual and endometriosis education in schools and community groups.
What to expect
Community, warmth and people who genuinely get it. This is grassroots support, not a corporate health service.
HealthUnlocked
HealthUnlocked hosts an active Endometriosis New Zealand community group where people share experiences, ask questions and support each other. This is where you can find real stories from real people, the good, the messy, the "I've been waiting 18 months for an appointment" conversations.
HealthUnlocked
Health New Zealand, or TeTe Whatu Ora. provides the official clinical information on endometriosis; symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options and where to seek care. It's a starting point, not a solution, but it's useful for understanding what the public system is theoretically supposed to offer.
Personal & Lived Expereinces
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The sad reality is that New Zealand is falling behind.
Let's not sugarcoat it. New Zealand's healthcare system is struggling to serve people with endometriosis. The average wait time for a diagnosis of endometriosis in New Zealand is about 10 years. A decade of pain, dismissal and fighting to be believed before someone officially confirms what your body has been telling you.
Patients who were dismissed by doctors had a significantly longer delay to diagnosis of 9 years on average, compared to 4.6 years for those who were believed. In other words: being dismissed delays care by years. The average number of GPs that endometriosis patients in New Zealand had seen before diagnosis is 4.8. Almost five different doctors before someone listened.
What the Public System Will (and Won't) Fund
Currently, the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopic surgery. The waiting times for surgery in are notoriusly long and hard to get onto. Some women report waiting for over two years for only a specialist apppointment, not the actual surgery itself.Â
Non-invasive scans that are often used to assist diagnosis, like advanced ultrasounds or MRIs, are not widely available through NZ's public health system and they are expensive. It's hard to get the system to pay for an MRI - in my home town, one MRI costs more than $2000NZD. During my own journey, I needed three MRIs within one year, I was lucky enough to be able to travel overseas where they cost under $600NZD privately.
The public gynaecology waitlist is one of the most significant barriers for endo patients in New Zealand. Provisional data from Health NZ showed almost 500 patients on the Obstetrics and Gynaecology wait list had been waiting longer than the recommended four months for their first specialist appointment.
If you're going through the public system for surgery, MRIs or any other imaging, be prepared to wait!
Access to hormonal treatments, a cornerstone of symptom management, are inconsistent and often expensive. Some treatments that are fully funded in other countries are only partially subsidised or not subsidised at all through Pharmac. Desogestrel (Cerazette), a progestogen treatment, was only considered for Pharmac funding in April 2025.
The GP Problem
A 2024 survey of 185 New Zealand GPs found that only 52% considered themselves to know enough about endometriosis for their routine practice. Despite 65% being aware of the 2020 endometriosis diagnosis guidelines, only 35% had actually read them.
Your GP is the gatekeeper to specialist care and if they don't know the signs or aren't up to date on guidelines, your path to diagnosis gets longer and harder. Self-advocacy and understanding about your condition is the key to navigating these situations. Learning how to be a "good" patient could be the different between a four month wait or a four year wait.Â
What New Zealand Still Doesn't Have
Australia launched its National Action Plan for Endometriosis in 2018. It led to 33 dedicated endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, Medicare funding for specialist MRI scans and a coordinated national approach to diagnosis and care. New Zealand has none of this.
Auckland gynaecologist Dr Michael Wynn-Williams has stated publicly that when it comes to endometriosis, New Zealand's healthcare system is "standing still," especially when compared to the progress made across the Tasman.
In better news, New Zealanders have access to Australian medical care under their subclass 444 visa. While it takes considerable resources to make an international move, it is an option for kiwi women at the end of their teather.Â
Sources
Source One: Bibliography
Disclaimer
Endo Endurance Project is a peer-support community and educational resource. It is not a medical service, a clinical program, or a mental health service.
Nothing shared in this space — including in the support group sessions, on this website, or in emails from Endo Endurance Project — constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information shared here reflects personal experience and publicly available information, not clinical guidance.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 000 (Australia) or 111 (New Zealand) or your local emergency services.
If you need mental health support right now, please reach out to one of the services listed here.
If you need support right now
If you're struggling, please reach out to one of these free services.
- Lifeline Aotearoa, call 0800 543 354 (24/7) lifeline.org.nz
- Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 (24/7, trained counsellors)
- Suicide Crisis Helpline, call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (24/7)
- Endometriosis New Zealand: 0800 733 277 nzendo.co.nz
- In a medical emergency dial 111