The research revealed the E7 protein, which is produced by HPV16 (a high-risk type of the virus), could be the main factor which prevents immune response to the disease.
Study lead co-author Merilyn Hibma said incidence of HPV was ''very high'' in New Zealand.
''If we didn't have a cervical screening programme it would probably be our No 1 killer.''
Most people who developed an HPV infection were cured within two years. However, 10%-20% of people were not cured, which put them at much greater risk of developing cervical cancer, she said.
The research, which was published in the international journal of scientific reports, added to a developing body of knowledge about how HPV16 suppressed the body's immune system.
''Our new findings show that E7, in the absence of other HPV16 proteins, is sufficient enough to cause a range of effects on specialised cells normally involved in priming the body's T-cells to combat viral infection.''
The findings came from the results of experiments carried out on mice which had the E7 protein on their skin, she said.
The discovery created potential for the development of immune therapies that would counteract the inhibition of the immune system by E7.
Such therapies would act in a similar way to new Pharmac-funded drugs Keytruda and Opdiva, which were used to treat melanoma.
Prof Hibma said she and the report's other co-authors, Khairunadwa Jemon, Cheng-Mee Leong and co-supervisors Sarah Young and Alexander McLellan, were ''extremely excited'' by the response to the research.
''I Googled it yesterday and noticed there was an article about it in Russian.''
The interest reflected the opportunity researchers had to develop immune-based therapies, and understandings of how cancer could avoid detection by the immune system, Prof Hibma said.
An HPV immune-based therapy could still be 20 years away from being on the market.
''It is important for governments and the public to realise that these are incremental steps, and it builds on that knowledge and understanding.''
