Health experts are setting up a foundation to lobby for Asian health interests at Government level.
Trustees of the Asian Health Foundation hope to forge partnerships with public and private groups to help get Asian concerns to policy makers.
One trustee, medical doctor Kawshi de Silva, said although Asians werenow the country's third-biggest population and their public health burden was increasing, there was limited reported information.
"There are too many myths and not enough reality," said Dr de Silva.
As well, Asian people did not have significant contribution to policy development and implementation.
The foundation would be the only national advocacy group for Asian health, and would "provide advice and consultancy at a high strategic level".
The trustees are Dr de Silva, the public health manager for the National Heart Foundation; Ruth Davy, head of the Well Women's Nursing Service; Samson Tse, an Auckland University academic; doctors Geeta Gala and Fiona Imach, and Ruth de Souza, a nurse and researcher at the Centre for Asian and Migrant Health Research at Auckland University of Technology.
Over the next two decades, New Zealand's Asian population is projected to increase from 270,000 people to 670,000. Most of this growth will be in Auckland.
Dr de Silva said research tended to lump culturally distinct Asian groups together. However, she said it was already known that Asian disease rates climb with acculturation.
Asians with chronic disease tended to seek medical help late, she said, and women did not have mammograms and cervical screening tests at the rates of other population groups.
The trustees are supported by National MPs Pansy Wong and associate health spokeswoman and doctor Jackie Blue. They hope to formally launch the foundation in June.
Trustees are due to meet health ministry officials next month.
