Our Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Consumer Advisory Group are calling for an urgent update on when changes will occur to the National Travel Assistance (NTA) Scheme.

The NTA scheme was established in 2005 to provide financial aid for people who need to travel away from home for medical treatment.

It was supposed to support those with the greatest need in Aotearoa, however, our young people have found numerous issues with the criteria and claims processes – which in turn has made it difficult for those who need the most support to access it.

Enough is enough.

Our members feel that previous reviews have not resulted in any meaningful action, which has left many young cancer patients throughout Aotearoa struggling with the burden of travel-related barriers, such as financial stress and difficulty accessing treatment.

How can you help? Please follow our social media pages (linked in last slide of the letter) and like, share, comment an orange heart emoji and share your own thoughts or experience! We would love to hear from you and have your support. 

We have also made a video below with more information! View here

Thank you for being here and for reading our letter.

Together we can make a difference.

Ngā mihi maioha,

AYA Consumer Advisory Group membe