Osteoporosis New Zealand is proud to celebrate and recognise that the 50,000 person was recently entered into the Australian and New Zealand Fragility Fracture Registry. The sheer numbers and the story below illustrate the impact on so many more than just the 50k individuals in the registry.

Picture Eden Park filled to capacity for a Rugby World Cup final—50,000 people creating something extraordinary together. That’s exactly how many New Zealanders now have their fragility fracture care journey recorded in the Australian and New Zealand Fragility Fracture Registry (ANZFFR), thanks to the dedicated work of Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) teams across the country.

The Numbers That Show Your Impact:

• 50,000 patients out of 5.39 million New Zealanders (1 in 108) now have comprehensive fragility fracture care
• Millions connected: If you know 50 people, there’s a 37% chance at least one of them has been helped by an FLS team
• Coverage improving: From 55% of eligible patients in Year 1 to 72% in Year 2, and a further increase expected for Year 3
• Prevention focus: Each patient represents a future fragility fracture potentially prevented

The Ripple Effect: How 50,000 Patients Touches Millions

The reach extends far beyond the 50,000 individuals recorded. Between 1-4 million New Zealanders are personally connected to this program through someone they know and care about. They’ve watched a family member, friend, or colleague go from sustaining a fragility fracture to confidence about their bone health. Among New Zealanders aged 65 and older, nearly 9 in 10 will know someone whose fragility fracture care has been transformed by an FLS team.

Thank You to Our FLS Heroes

To every FLS clinical lead, coordinator and administrator, and supporting manager behind the scenes who has contributed to this milestone: you are changing lives every single day.

When someone sustains a fragility fracture after a simple fall, it’s often dismissed as “just one of those things.” But our FLS teams see it as a warning sign and an opportunity: investigating why the fragility fracture happened, assessing bone health and falls risk, creating prevention plans, including treatment if required, and following-up to make sure patients stay on track.

Your impact lives in the stories:

• The 78-year-old who now takes confident walks with her grandchildren
• The 65-year-old man who learned his back pain was actually treatable osteoporosis
• The woman who discovered her “unlucky” falls were actually preventable
• The families who no longer worry about the next emergency room visit

Building a Stronger Future

This milestone represents a foundation for where we’re going. Every record in the ANZFFR represents:

• A person whose quality of life has improved – who can share their story and break the cycle of preventable fragility fractures in their community
• A person whose fear has transformed into knowledge
• A family with one less thing to worry about
• A healthcare system getting better at prevention

Your work is creating a New Zealand where fragility fractures become turning points toward better health, greater confidence, and stronger futures rather than leading to fear and repeated injuries.

Fifty thousand patients. Millions of connected New Zealanders. Countless prevented fragility fractures.