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Text on a textured yellow background stating New Zealand funded just 7% of 460 new OECD medicines between 2012 and 2021, while the average was 29%, with a stylised figure in the bottom left and 'Dare to be average' in the bottom right.

Illustration of a yellow capsule figure with a New Zealand silver fern and human silhouettes, with text 'Four truths of medicines access in New Zealand'.

Text over black textured background states New Zealand's access to publicly funded medicines ranks near the bottom among comparable OECD countries, with two yellow cartoon pill characters at the bottom and right side.

Illustration of two capsule characters balanced on a scale with text stating overall health spend is about the same as the OECD average.

Text on blackboard background stating investment in publicly funded medicines is well below OECD average, with a worried yellow character below.

Text stating patients wait longer here than almost anywhere else in the OECD with a line of yellow cartoon figures wearing black visors on a dark background.

Motivational quote saying we don't need to be the best but the bottom of the barrel shouldn't be the goal, with illustration of a sad figure lifting a barbell on a black textured background.

Computer screen showing an out-of-office email from Bill the Pill with message about being on holiday and hashtag #DaretobeAverageNz; background is yellow with text: 'Bill's out of office but that doesn't mean our medicines access problem has gone away.'

Cartoon character with a black body and a fern design stands on a beach with two palm trees and ocean waves, with the text 'Bill's on holiday... sort of.'

Open suitcase showing packed essentials including flip-flops, sunscreen, sunglasses, a shirt, shorts, a book, and a phone with 'Dare to be average' text, with a caption saying Bill's packed essentials but feels he's missing something.

Yellow textured background with black text saying 'Bill's end of year recap. What have we learned so far?' and a sad cartoon character wearing a black shirt with a silver fern design.

Two report cards titled Medicines Access Report, one for OECD Average with a B grade and one for New Zealand with a D grade, against a dark textured background with text saying ‘Our report card doesn’t look that flash’.

Illustration of two characters on a balanced scale with text stating health investment is about average, referencing New Zealand's public health and disability expenditure.

Comparison chart showing New Zealand's medicines investment as a smaller cone with a sad face, versus a larger cone representing the OECD average, with text highlighting that the investment leaves a lot to be desired.

Illustration of a person named Bill climbing a tall ladder with text saying medicines access is improving but still far from the top.

Yellow winding path on black background with text 'stay tuned Bill's just getting started' and a sign reading 'This way for average medicines access'.

Text on yellow background stating New Zealand hasn't submitted medicines expenditure data to the OECD since 2007, with a cartoon character wearing a black mask featuring a silver fern.

Cartoon barista behind a coffee counter with shelves of coffee cups, text reads 'New Zealand is pretty good at the ol' flat white...' and sign says 'Bill's Brews'.

Illustration showing a sad pill character wearing a black shirt with a silver fern, sitting in an empty glass box with cobwebs and text saying 'Access to medicines? Not so much'.

Cartoon of three elevator doors labelled Top Performers, OECD Average, and New Zealand with a figure wearing a black outfit and headband pressing the elevator button for New Zealand, with text above stating most countries are heading up but New Zealand is stuck in the basement.

Bold yellow text on black background saying 'AVERAGE HEALTH SPEND (Below average medicines access)' with a small cartoon pill character waving and a source note about New Zealand's health spending comparison.

Meter labeled Confidence Check with needle pointing to medium-high confidence and a small figure holding onto the needle, on a dark textured background.

Illustration of a tired pill character running on a treadmill connected to a battery, symbolising medicines powering the health system.

Two black stylised characters on a textured yellow background, one small Bill the Pill and the other another much larger anthropomorphic pill and the words 'Dare to be average' below it,

Graphic stating 75% of Kiwis agree we should fund medicines more, with four cartoon figures representing consensus, one highlighted in yellow with a fern design.

Airport departures board showing destinations Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart with respective gates and statuses including boarding, departing, departed, and security, against a textured yellow background with silhouette of airplanes, seats, and Bill the Pill with text 'Dare to be average'.

Illustration of five blue chairs in a row with a worried Bill the Pill sitting in the second chair, a clock showing 8:55, and text reading 'Take a seat. It might be a long wait.' and 'Dare to be average.'

Graphic showing only 4.9% of New Zealand's health budget goes towards medicines, with a small yellow triangle representing this proportion.

Yellow pie chart segment representing the OECD average health and disability expenditure at 13.3%.

Text reading 'Pharma's ranked lists aren't the whole story' above a checklist with cartoon pharmacist icon in one box, on a textured yellow background.

Yellow textured background with text 'Some applications haven't even made it to a list' above a worried cartoon figure wearing a black shirt with white silhouettes and a fern, with 'Dare to be average' in the bottom left.

Text on yellow background reads: 'Unranked. Unprioritised. Uncertain. We call them....' with 'Dare to be average' in bottom left and 'Swipe' with arrow in bottom right, surrounded by black check marks, crosses and dots.

Text on yellow textured background reading: 'THE GHOST LIST' with smaller text 'DARE TO BE AVERAGE' and a small arrow with 'SWIPE'.

Cartoon ghost figure with a silver fern design of human silhouettes on its body and text saying 'No, not this kind of ghost'.

Text on a textured yellow background reads: 'These ghosts? Funding applications left in limbo with no way to know if they'll ever get funded.' A small cartoon character peeks from the bottom right corner.

Bar chart comparing medicine access rankings: DEU 61%, followed by JPN, GBR, ITA, FRA, and SVN with a cartoon pill character on SVN bar.

Bar chart showing OECD average access to new medicines at 29% highlighted in red with pill characters above bars for Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Portugal, and Australia on a yellow textured background.

Chart with five black bars representing countries IRL, KOR, SVK, DNK, and CAN, with a small running pill character on the SVK bar and text saying 'Others aren't doing too bad...'

Bar chart with five black vertical bars labelled LVA, GRC, POL, TUR, and MEX, with a anthropomorphic pill character stepping down from TUR to MEX, and text reading 'And then way down here...' on a yellow textured background.

Bar chart showing New Zealand (NZL) at 7% with a cartoon character labeled 'Bill' standing on NZL bar, compared to Lithuania (LTU), Estonia (EST), and Hungary (HUN) with lower bars.

Pop quiz text on a yellow textured background asking how long on average a funding application sits on the OFI list, with a partially visible waving Bill the Pill and the phrase 'Dare to be average'.

Blackboard background with handwritten text '7 YEARS' and a waving yellow Bill the Pill on the bottom right, with 'Dare to be Average' in the bottom left.

Cartoon anthropomorphic pills in a line extending into the distance on a yellow background with the text, This list is longer than your nan’s pharmacy receipt, and arrows pointing from the start to the end of the line labelled 'Line starts here' and 'Funding', with the phrase Dare to be average in the bottom right.

81% of the medicines Australia funds but New Zealand doesn't are considered standard of care, source IQVIA 2025.

Bill the Pill on a cliff edge, text states Australia funded 2.5 times more modern medicines than New Zealand from Jan 2011 to June 2025.

Illustration with a line of five black and beige characters next to a sign reading 'Line starts here' and text stating 'Here in Nz, The wait for healthcare is nothing new....' on a yellow background.

Graphic with text questioning medicines and stating ‘that one takes real patience’ above six simple cartoon pill characters on a textured yellow background.

Text states it takes an average of 1050 days for a medicine to be publicly funded, with six black capsule characters standing in a row on a yellow textured background.

Graphic with six black cartoon capsule characters on a yellow background and text stating nearly half at 556 days for access to medicines.

Graphic with text 'Crash Course: Pharmac's Lists' above a stack of papers on a textured black background.

Illustration of two yellow characters on a white balance scale with text reading 'The only if cost neutral or cost saving list.' and 'Dare to be average' on a dark textured background.

Text on textured black background reading: 'The Options For Investment (OFI) List. A.K.A: The Waiting List.' Below is a white rectangular loading bar with text 'Decision Loading' and a small Bill the Pill. Bottom left says 'Dare to be Average' and bottom right has a swipe arrow pointing right.

Graphic with text 'The Recommended for Decline List' and a sad Bill the Pill with a red cross over him, on a dark textured background.

Illustration of a seesaw with a pill capsule character holding a silver fern sitting on the higher end, questioning why New Zealand's medicines budget is left high and dry while the health budget is average.

Pie chart showing a small red slice representing the medicines budget as 5% of the larger white health budget circle, with text annotations and a yellow cartoon figure wearing a mask.

Text stating Bill is here to explain what ‘below average’ means for medicines access in NZ, with a Bill the Pill and the phrase 'Dare to be average' on a yellow background.

Stack of papers illustrating years of underinvestment piling up with text and a small character saying dare to be average.

Illustration of a long line of simple pill figures extending into the distance with the text 'A wait that drags on...' and 'Dare to be average' on a yellow textured background.

Illustration of a small Bill the Pill behind three similar pill characters running ahead, with text saying 'And the comparisons that leave us trailing behind. Dare to be average.'

Illustration comparing New Zealand’s below average medicine investment with the higher OECD average using stacks of coins, with a sad pill character on the NZ stack.

Yellow basket filled with various medicine bottles on a dark textured background with text saying 'While other countries’ baskets are full' and 'Dare to be average'.

Graphic with text "Our medicines basket is a bit empty" showing a mostly empty orange shopping basket with a few pills inside on a dark textured background.

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