NZHR has over several years repeatedly called for investment in health research to be substantially increased. However, government investment in health research has historically stagnated somewhere between about 0.6% and 0.8% of government health care costs and in the absence of any indications to the contrary is forecast to fall to 0.51% after 2025/26 when funding for the health-related national science challenges and other initiatives is due to end. Previous NZHR submissions have been stymied because of constraints imposed by successive Budget Policy Statements (BPSs) which predetermine the content of the subsequent government Budget. NZHR has therefore submitted to the Finance Minister and Treasury an unsolicited case for the 2023 BPS to including a focus on premature mortality, a commitment to R&D investment generally, and a commitment to health research specifically.  See our six recommendations and the reasons for them here