Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark have announced the Government's Cancer Action Plan for 2019-2029.

Key actions to improve cancer care and outcomes include:

• More medicines for more people through an immediate $60m funding boost for PHARMAC ($20 million this year and $40 million in 2020/21) and faster decision making process;

• Establishing a Cancer Control Agency to ensure consistent standards nationwide;

• Strengthening Government focus on prevention and screening – fewer cancers, earlier detection;

• Appointing an National Director of Cancer Control and create a single National Cancer Control Network; and

• Developing cancer-specific Quality Performance Indicators to improve equity of care

Ms Ardern said cancer touched "just about every one of us" at some stage in our lives.

"On average 66 people every day are diagnosed with cancer – and they deserve world-class care,” Ms Ardern said.

Dr Clark said the Government had listened to calls for strong central leadership and would deliver the promised Cancer Control Agency by December 1 2019.

While the Agency would have its own chief executive, the agency would be housed within the Ministry of Health.

Dr Clark also announced that public health physician and cancer epidemiologist Professor Diana Sarfati had been appointed interim National Director of Cancer Control, starting immediately.

She would lead work to improve the quality of treatment.

Professor Sarfati is currently a member of the New Zealand National Cancer Leadership Board, the bowel cancer screening advisory committee, the Advisory Committee to International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Pacific cancer hub, IARC’s Expert Advisory Committee on Social Inequities and Cancer, the Academic Advisory Committee on the International Cancer Benchmarking Project, and the Lancet Oncology International Advisory Committee.

Work on implementing the Cancer Action Plan begins immediately, but there will be an opportunity for the public and health professionals to provide feedback on the Plan before it is finalised next year.

“In the end, though, the Plan’s number one focus is improving outcomes for New Zealanders. We want to see fewer cancers, earlier detection and better treatment for everyone living with cancer,” Dr Clark said.