Supporting people with migraine disease in Aotearoa New Zealand

Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is the only registered migraine charity in New Zealand supporting people living with migraine

Migraine disease is a debilitating neurological condition. An estimated 642,000 people live with migraine in New Zealand. It’s more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and stroke combined, however migraine is misunderstood, under-diagnosed, under-treated and under-researched.

People with migraine living in Aotearoa have limited access to migraine support, specialised care and treatment and migraine-specific medications.

Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand provides a collective voice for people in New Zealand living with this invisible and disabling condition.

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Migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand Survey 2022

In 2022, we undertook the first online survey of people with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand. We received 579 responses. Following removal of incomplete responses and those unlikely to have migraine, we had 530 responses for analysis.

The aim of the survey was to collect data on chronic migraine, medication overuse, types of medications used, non-medication treatments used, impact of migraine on work, access to and experience of health services, stigma and more.

Analysed by our researcher and epidemiologist, our key insight reports summarise the findings and offer much-needed research and insight into the lived experience of people with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand

Read the key insight reports

Help get Emgality funded in New Zealand

People with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand deserve funded access to preventive medications that are safe and effective.

Help support our application to Pharmac for Emgality funding and raise awareness of the impact migraine has for individuals, whānau and society.

Your voice can make all the difference.

Visit the Emgality advocacy toolkit

Our vision

To minimise the health, economic and social burden of migraine disease in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our mission

To raise awareness of the impact of migraine disease and support people living with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Emgality price increase? Thankfully not

November 28th 2023We’ve heard some people taking Emgality have been told by their pharmacists that the price of Emgality is going to increase next year, by as much as double by February 2024. This has beenRead more

Migraine and menopause

November 15th 2023 Many women with migraine have been told that migraine will improve after menopause. Should we be hanging out until our periods stop? Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when periods haveRead more

A migraine research triumph

November 14th 2023Photo: Professor Debbie Hay, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of OtagoRead more

Migraine in transgender people

November 9th 2023What can we learn from the experience of migraine in transgender people and what can be done for transgender people with migraine? Most research on migraine doesn’t distinguish between sex and genRead more

Migraine in men

November 8th 2023Migraine is more common in women than men – but this can mean that men with migraine get overlooked. The reason migraine is more common in women is mostly attributed to hormonal differences andRead more

New website coming soon

November 2nd 2023In May we were successful in our grant application to The Lion Foundation to re-develop our website. There's a lot of information on our website, and information that’s particularly relevant forRead more

Migraine 3-minute thesis winner

November 2nd 2023By Tyla Alexander I am a final year PhD student in Professor Debbie Hay’s Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Otago. Recently, I competed in theRead more

Neurological Advisory Committee meeting presentation

September 20th 2023 That was the comment from Dr Brian Anderson, Chair of Pharmac’s Neurological Advisory Committee, when speaking about the collection of stories we gave to Pharmac and the Committee about people’sRead more

Highlights from International Headache Congress 2023

September 19th 2023The International Headache Society (IHS) is the leading international headache charity, which exists to promote awareness and knowledge about headache worldwide, through science, education andRead more

WINZ contributes to Emgality costs

September 14th 2023There aren’t many people in New Zealand who are on a benefit because of migraine, despite migraine being a common and disabling disease, that can seriously impair people’s ability to work. But ifRead more

What the Women’s Health Strategy means for people with migraine in Aotearoa

August 29th 2023In July 2023, the Ministry of Health launched six new health strategies, the Pae Ora | Healthy Futures Strategies, as mandated by new legislation (the Pae Ora Act) that underpinned the restructuring Read more

Lack of medicine access contributing to health workforce shortage

August 22nd 2023Despite the hedging of various Ministers of Health, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that our healthcare workforce is in crisis. People are waiting weeks to see a GP. Between 2019 and 2022, 28%Read more

Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is led by volunteers passionate about improving the migraine landscape in Aotearoa

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Living with migraine disease can be challenging. Those of us with migraine know that it’s more than just a headache. Migraine is a whole body disease that affects everyone differently.

It can feel isolating, yet in New Zealand there are hundreds of thousands of people living with migraine.

Members of the Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand community share their stories about living with migraine and how there’s hope, even when some days it can feel like a struggle.

Read their stories

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Keep up-to-date with the latest news from Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand. Please note: if you subscribe with an xtra.co.nz email address, due to xtra spam filters our emails may not reach your inbox. We recommend subscribing with an alternative email address or adding info@migrainefoundation.org.nz to your contacts.

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Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated is a registered charitable organisation under the Charities Act 2005. Our charity registration number is CC60312.

The information on this website is for informative purposes only. Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is not a medical organisation. Please consult your healthcare professional for specific migraine treatment advice. All quotes featured on the website are real quotes from people in Aotearoa New Zealand living with migraine.

This website contains links to websites operated by third parties. Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is not responsible for the content on these websites and provides links for reference only.