The whānau of 21-year-old Mereana Muriwai (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is mourning her loss after she passed away yesterday following a courageous fight against a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer - a battle made harder by challenges accessing life-prolonging treatment through Pharmac.
Mereana died surrounded by her whānau and will lie in state at her home in Matamata. The whānau pani has asked for privacy as they navigate this next phase with their treasured taonga.
Aukaha News brought you this story in July, when Mereana and her whānau were pushing for access to treatment that offered a glimmer of hope.
Her journey highlighted the complexities of Pharmac’s Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessment (NPPA) pathway, which often leaves patients and their whānau facing uncertainty, extensive paperwork, and long waits during already stressful periods.
“Before I did the Givealittle page, they told me I was terminal. So, they asked me if I wanted to be put in palliative care. So I thought, like, maybe I’d put the money towards a wedding or something with my partner,” she said at the time.
After receiving confirmation in October that her cancer had progressed, Mereana and her partner, Nui Muriwai, married in an intimate ceremony surrounded by close whānau and friends.
Pharmac’s Kaituruki Māori, Trevor Simpson, previously explained that NPPA approval required a clinician-led application that must meet strict policy criteria.
“If the principles are met, we’ll assess the application,” he said.
Since news of her passing, tributes have continued to flow. Friends and community members have acknowledged the strength she showed throughout her illness, with many noting how her story prompted wider kōrero about equitable access to cancer medicines for young Māori.
Social media posts describe her as loving, thoughtful, fiercely supportive, and deeply grounded in her culture - a young wahine who uplifted others and brought joy into every space she entered.
She is survived by her husband, nan, parents, sisters, brother, her beloved kuri Riwai, and her wider whānau.
By Maioha Panapa of Aukaha News
