Labour minister Kiritapu Allan has been declared cancer-free, eight months after a shock diagnosis forced her to step back from Parliament.
The East Coast MP was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer in March, and was told as a wāhine Māori, she had just a 13.3 percent chance of surviving it.
But on Thursday afternoon she took to Instagram to announce the good news that she'd beaten the illness, with her first scan after treatment in June coming back clear of cancer.
"I can't describe what we are feeling right now, and I’ll be honest, I was preparing for a different kind of phone call today," she wrote.
"There is a five year period where I'll be tested every six months, and it’s not until the end of that period of five years where I can say 'my chances of having that cancer are no longer likely'.
"However, this is such a huge milestone for my family and I after a year that has been challenging for all, for so many reasons."
Allan went on to express her gratitude to "the incredible medical staff that have saved my life so far" and for the "immeasurable" support her family had received throughout her journey.
She encouraged others to use her experience as a reminder to be vigilant.
"This disease caught me out and I was not prepared for what would follow," she said. "We have the medicine, the science and the expertise to detect this form of cancer far earlier than I did.
"Please, to all my sisters out there, take time to have your cervical smears, your mammograms, and all other health checks; to all my brothers out there, let the doctors have a look and take a prod.
"It may just one day save your life - and your family wants you, needs you, to stay healthy for them."
Allan said the post would be the last time she spoke publicly about her cancer journey.
The MP was in April forced to step back from Parliament and her portfolios as Minister for Emergency Management and Conservation and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage so she could focus on treatment.
However she returned to work in July after treatment.
Allan revealed in April she was being biopsied for cancer the same day she oversaw a Civil Defence response to a slew of large earthquakes off the coast of New Zealand, which led to a tsunami warning and evacuations in her East Coast electorate.
