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Health / Cost of care

Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?

Most adults pay GP fees and $5 per prescription. Parties differ on changing that.General practices in New Zealand are private businesses. The government pays them for each enrolled patient, and they set their own fees. Children 13 and under are eligible for free visits, and Community Services Card holders pay less. Since July 2024, people aged 14 to 64 without a Community Services Card pay $5 per prescription item, up to 20 items a year. In 2024/25, 14.9% of adults said they had not visited a GP because of cost, and 3.6% had not collected a prescription because of cost. A Health NZ funding deal holds GP fees until July 2027, with exceptions. Labour proposes three free visits a year and free prescriptions; the Greens would work towards fully free primary care, and Te Pāti Māori would invest in free primary care for all whānau; National points to its record in government. ACT argues against free visits and would put $400 million more into general practice. NZ First and Opportunity have no stated position on these costs.

Uneven evidence. Some parties' plans have more published costings or analysis than others. Read what was found

As at 15 October 2026, no independent costing was found for Labour's free GP visits, its free prescriptions, the Greens' commitment to fully free primary care or Te Pāti Māori's commitment to invest in free primary care for all whānau. Official estimates exist only for the $5 prescription charge, from officials' 2023 advice. Labour has published costs, dates and delivery detail; the Greens' and Te Pāti Māori's 2026 manifestos have no cost or timeline; National's approach is its record in government rather than a new election policy. Entries therefore differ in length. This reflects what has been published, not a judgement on the plans.

How would this affect me? Work out each party's plan for your own income and circumstances.

ViewDepth
Party order is random for each visitor. Tap a party's answer for its full breakdown and sources.Order

Bottom lines on this question

What a party has publicly said it must get, or won't accept, to form or support a government after the election. Only the party's own statements count, quoted with their source. Parties marked Bottom line below have one on that answer.

  • Opportunity

    A 10-year cross-party plan for health.

    “a bottom line that establishes a 10-year, cross-party plan for health”

  • No bottom line on this question found: ACT, Green, Labour, National, NZ First, Te Pāti Māori (checked 17 Oct 2026)

Every party's bottom lines, on all issues

Parties are grouped by the approach they take. A party can take more than one.

Approaches

4 of 7 parties take at least one

Make GP visits free for everyone3 parties

  • Green

    Work towards fully free GP and nurse care in public clinics.The 2026 manifesto commits to work towards fully free, publicly delivered primary and dental care, including clinics run by Māori for Māori.

  • Labour

    Three free doctor or nurse visits a year for everyone, through a Medicard.A card and app would load three free visits a year at a person's enrolled practice; Labour costs the visits at $490 million a year within a $553 million package.

  • Te Pāti Māori

    Invest in free primary healthcare for all whānau.The 2026 policy manifesto commits to invest in free primary healthcare, free dental care and free medication delivery for all whānau.

Remove the $5 prescription charge1 party

  • Labour

    Remove the $5 prescription charge for everyone from 1 July 2027.Funded medicines from approved prescribers would be free at community pharmacies, which Labour costs at $74.5 million a year.

Fund practices to hold or lower fees2 parties

  • Labour

    An independent authority would set how much GP practices are paid.From July 2028 an Independent Pricing Authority would set a national GP funding rate, and fee income lost to free visits would be added to practice funding.

  • National

    $120.6 million more for GP clinics in 2026/27; fees held to July 2027, with exceptions.A Health NZ funding deal, which National says 86% of clinics accepted, lifts per-patient funding in return for holding visit fees for 12 months, with exceptions.

Keep charges, free for some groups1 party

  • National

    Keep the $5 prescription charge, with free prescriptions for under-14s, over-65s and cardholders.The government reinstated the charge in July 2024; children 13 and under also remain eligible for free GP visits.

  • Not part of its policy: ACT
  • No stated position found: NZ First (checked 15 Oct 2026)
  • No stated position found: Opportunity (checked 15 Oct 2026)

Each party's whole answer, under the same headings for every party.

ACT

Opposes

Argues against free GP visits; $400 million more for general practice over four years.ACT argues against free GP visits and would invest an additional $400 million in general practice over four years, an ongoing $100 million a year on top of normal per-patient funding increases. It says the money would go to pay and retention, extra hours and rewards for extra appointments, and faster entry for overseas-trained doctors. Its release does not say whether GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change. It argues that free visits would not help without enough doctors to provide the appointments. The biggest tradeoff: the plan funds GP pay, hours and recruitment, but its release does not say whether patient fees or the prescription charge would change, and it has no independent costing.

Approaches
Not part of its policy

Green

Work towards fully free GP, nurse and dental care, delivered by public clinics.The Greens' 2026 manifesto commits to "work towards a publicly delivered, fully free provision of dental and primary care services", including clinics run by Māori for Māori, and to fund mobile health and dental vans for rural areas. It does not say how GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change along the way. The party's 2025 alternative budget was more specific: a public Community Health Service providing free GP and nursing care, free prescriptions and free dental care, paid for with new taxes, including a wealth tax, and more borrowing. The 2026 manifesto also backs more funding for Pharmac. The biggest tradeoff: the plan aims at fully free primary and dental care for everyone, but gives no cost or timeline for it and does not tie it to a funding source.

Approaches
Make GP visits free for everyone. Work towards fully free GP and nurse care in public clinics.The 2026 manifesto commits to work towards fully free, publicly delivered primary and dental care, including clinics run by Māori for Māori.

Labour

Three free GP visits a year for everyone, and no $5 prescription charge.Labour would give everyone eligible for public health care a Medicard, a card and app loaded with three free visits a year to a doctor or nurse at their own practice. After-hours, immunisation and ACC visits are not covered. From 1 July 2027 it would also remove the $5 prescription charge that most people aged 14 to 64 now pay. Labour costs the package at about $553 million a year once running ($490 million for visits) and free prescriptions at $74.5 million a year, paid for by its proposed 28% tax on gains from selling investment and commercial property. From July 2028 a new Independent Pricing Authority would set how much practices are paid. The biggest tradeoff: everyone gets three free visits a year and free prescriptions, at about $628 million a year once running on Labour's own costings, funded from a new tax whose revenue Labour ring-fences for health.

Approaches
Make GP visits free for everyone. Three free doctor or nurse visits a year for everyone, through a Medicard.A card and app would load three free visits a year at a person's enrolled practice; Labour costs the visits at $490 million a year within a $553 million package.
Remove the $5 prescription charge. Remove the $5 prescription charge for everyone from 1 July 2027.Funded medicines from approved prescribers would be free at community pharmacies, which Labour costs at $74.5 million a year.
Fund practices to hold or lower fees. An independent authority would set how much GP practices are paid.From July 2028 an Independent Pricing Authority would set a national GP funding rate, and fee income lost to free visits would be added to practice funding.

National

Partly

In government it reinstated the $5 charge and agreed a GP fee hold.National has no new election policy on GP or prescription costs; its approach comes from its record in government. In 2024 the National-led government reinstated the $5 prescription charge for people aged 14 and over, keeping prescriptions free for children under 14, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders, with no charge after 20 items a year. In June 2026 a Health NZ package added $120.6 million in GP funding for 2026/27 and held fees to 1 July 2027, with exceptions; National says 86% of clinics accepted it. Its health election policy is more Pharmac funding, which does not change GP fees or prescription charges. The biggest tradeoff: charges stay targeted, with savings the government says go to frontline services and cancer medicines, but adults 14 to 64 without a card pay for visits and prescriptions, and fee settings after July 2027 are unstated.

Approaches
Fund practices to hold or lower fees. $120.6 million more for GP clinics in 2026/27; fees held to July 2027, with exceptions.A Health NZ funding deal, which National says 86% of clinics accepted, lifts per-patient funding in return for holding visit fees for 12 months, with exceptions.
Keep charges, free for some groups. Keep the $5 prescription charge, with free prescriptions for under-14s, over-65s and cardholders.The government reinstated the charge in July 2024; children 13 and under also remain eligible for free GP visits.

NZ First

No stated position found (checked 15 Oct 2026)

OpportunityBottom line

No stated position found (checked 15 Oct 2026)

Te Pāti Māori

Invest in free primary care, free dental care and free medicine delivery for all whānau.Te Pāti Māori's 2026 policy manifesto commits to "Invest in free primary healthcare for all whānau", along with free dental care, free medication delivery, marae-based clinics and mobile units, and more funding for Pharmac. It does not say how GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change along the way. The manifesto also commits to re-establish Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, and to transfer 25% of total health and ACC funding to Māori-led systems. In 2023 the party proposed free GP and dental care for whānau earning under $60,000. The biggest tradeoff: the plan aims at free primary and dental care for all whānau, but gives no cost or timeline for it and does not tie it to a funding source.

Approaches
Make GP visits free for everyone. Invest in free primary healthcare for all whānau.The 2026 policy manifesto commits to invest in free primary healthcare, free dental care and free medication delivery for all whānau.
Background and sources

How GP care is paid for. General practices are private businesses that set their own fees. The government subsidises fees for enrolled patients, children 13 and under are eligible for free visits day and night, and Community Services Card holders pay less, though not every practice offers free visits (Health NZ).

The prescription charge. The Labour-led government removed the $5 prescription charge from 1 July 2023 (Pharmacy Today; 1News). The National-led government brought it back from July 2024 for people aged 14 and over, with prescriptions staying free for children under 14, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders, and no further charges once a family has collected 20 items in a year (Health NZ; 1News). In November 2023, Ministry of Health officials estimated the charge could save about $425 million over four years, against $76.2 to $81.8 million a year in National's manifesto. They warned it "could lead to an increase in people delaying or avoiding collecting their medicine" and that Māori, Pacific people and disabled people are disproportionately on lower incomes (Ministry of Health). At Budget 2024 the government put net savings at $116 million over five years.

Cost as a barrier. In the 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey, 14.9% of adults had not visited a GP in the past year because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%, European/Other 14.5%, Asian 12.8%), and 3.6% had not collected a prescription because of cost (Ministry of Health). A 2024 cohort study found people who could not collect a prescription because of cost were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjusting for other factors. Its authors say the results "should be interpreted with a degree of caution" because of possible unmeasured confounding, but that agreement with other studies "reinforces the likelihood of there being a causal link", and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations" (NZMJ).

The 2026 fee hold. Under a Health NZ deal, primary care funding rises by $120.6 million in 2026/27, partly to keep fees stable. Practices cannot raise fees until 1 July 2027 unless granted an exception, and a revised per-patient funding formula was due to start on 1 July 2026 (ODT/RNZ; National). National says 86% of clinics voted for the package (National). The General Practice Owners Association says some practices still cannot hold their fees (GenPro).

Capacity. The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners says "patients are struggling to afford to see their GP" and that primary care receives on average 6% of the health budget against 14% internationally (RNZCGP). Writing in the New Zealand Medical Journal about Labour's plan, Frank Frizelle notes that "Cost is only one barrier to primary care. Removing patient charges will increase demand", and that Labour "therefore proposes" a Family Doctor Loan Scheme to increase primary care capacity; of all parties' plans, he says "Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either" (NZMJ).

Related health policies not about fees. Several parties propose health changes that do not directly change what patients pay for GP visits or prescriptions: more Pharmac funding (National, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori), more care in pharmacies (ACT and the Greens), a shift to prevention (NZ First and Te Pāti Māori), a Māori-led health authority (Te Pāti Māori), and a 10-year plan with a larger share of spending on primary care (Opportunity). Labour proposes free cervical screening for ages 25 to 69 from 1 October 2027 (Labour), and National for women aged 25 to 69 from March 2027 (National). These are noted in each party's entry but not compared here; Pharmac funding, the health workforce and Māori health services are compared under medicines, staff and Māori health.

Funding link. Labour ring-fences the revenue from its proposed 28% tax on gains from selling investment and commercial property for its health policies, including free GP visits and prescriptions (Labour; Labour). That tax is compared under tax changes.

ACT

ACT argues against free GP visits and would invest an additional $400 million in general practice over four years, an ongoing $100 million a year on top of normal per-patient funding increases. It says the money would go to pay and retention, extra hours and rewards for extra appointments, and faster entry for overseas-trained doctors. Its release does not say whether GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change. It argues that free visits would not help without enough doctors to provide the appointments. The biggest tradeoff: the plan funds GP pay, hours and recruitment, but its release does not say whether patient fees or the prescription charge would change, and it has no independent costing.

Who gains

  • Party claimACT says its funding would help practices pay and keep GPs, and support extra hours and extra appointments, so that patients waiting for a GP visit could be seen sooner. [1][2]
  • Party claimACT says one in four adults and one in five children missed a GP visit in 2024/25 because the wait was too long. [1]
  • Established evidenceIn the 2024/25 Health Survey, 25.5% of adults and 19.5% of children had the time taken to get an appointment as a barrier to visiting a GP. [10]

Who pays

  • Established evidenceACT's release does not say how the $400 million would be funded. ACT's wider fiscal plan proposes reducing public service spending and debt, but neither the plan page nor Interest.co.nz's account mentions this GP funding. [1][5][6]
  • Established evidenceGeneral practices are private businesses that set their own fees, and the release does not say whether patients' fees would change. [12][1]

Cost and costing disputes

  • Party claimACT puts the cost at $400 million over four years, an ongoing $100 million a year on top of normal capitation increases. [1][2]
  • Established evidenceNo independent costing of the plan was found as at 18 October 2026. [1]

Evidence from elsewhere

  • Established evidenceThe College of GPs' 2024 workforce survey found 35% of GP respondents intend to retire within five years; ACT cites the same figure. [11][1]
  • Party claimACT says 18% of GPs are considering moving overseas. This figure was not traced to the College of GPs' 2024 workforce survey release, which reports figures for different groups (for example 35% of respondents aged 30 to 34 considering leaving New Zealand). [1][11]
  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%), and 3.6% did not collect a prescription because of cost. The survey does not show how much of this is due to any particular fee or charge. [10]
  • Established evidenceA 2024 study found people who could not afford a prescription were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjustment for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health; the authors say residual confounding is possible and their estimate of hospital costs assumes a causal link, which may not hold, but argue other evidence makes one more likely, and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations". [13]

Risks and side effects

  • ContestedIn a general point about primary care, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Primary care requires both affordability and capacity. Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either". [7]
  • Established evidenceNo assessment of ACT's plan against workforce limits was found. [1][2]

Implementation

  • Party claimACT says it would support practices to offer extra hours and reward additional appointments, and build on work to streamline registration and fast-track qualified overseas GPs, including reforming medical regulators. [1][2]
  • Established evidenceThe release gives no start date. [1]

Strongest case for

  • Party claimACT says there is "no point promising more free appointments if there aren't enough doctors to provide them" and would fund general practice. [1]
  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 25.5% of adults named appointment waits as a barrier to visiting a GP. [10]

Strongest case against

  • ContestedNo named critic of ACT's $400 million general practice plan was found. More generally, writing about all parties' plans, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Workforce may be the greatest constraint on almost every promise". [7]
  1. ACT will invest $400 million to get Kiwis more GP appointments · ACT New Zealand · accessed 19 Oct 2026
  2. Shorter Waits for your GP · ACT New Zealand · accessed 19 Oct 2026
  3. Health policies · ACT New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  4. Let Pharmacies Do More · ACT New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026 · archived copy (17 Oct 2026)
  5. ACT's Fiscal Plan · ACT New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  6. ACT wants $10b slashed from the public service, $12.4b lower debt by 2031 and a lower operating allowance (11 October 2026) · interest.co.nz · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  7. Election 2026 and health: promises, priorities and delivery (Frizelle, 9 October 2026) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  8. Ministerial List · Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet · accessed 16 Oct 2026
  9. Budget 2024: $5 prescription fee back in weeks - with some exceptions (30 May 2024) · 1News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  10. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  11. College of GPs workforce survey shows optimistic changes but still more to be done to address core challenges for the future · Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners · accessed 19 Oct 2026
  12. General practices (formerly "Visiting a doctor") · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  13. Consequences of cost barriers to prescriptions: cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand (Jeffreys et al., 17 May 2024) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
Change history

Every recorded change to this entry, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.

  1. 19 Oct 2026 Revised after third agent review; stated the tradeoff from what the release says and omits, used the shared general line in the case against, and matched the funding wording to ACT's release and policy page. [1][2][7]
  2. 19 Oct 2026 Revised after second agent review; said the release does not say whether fees would change, removed the Budget 2026 criticism aimed at the government, and added the prescription cost study in the same words as other parties. [1][13]
  3. 19 Oct 2026 Revised after agent review; described ACT's argument against free visits in neutral words, gave its fiscal plan as context for funding, and added the cost barrier to the case against. [1] Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners
  4. 19 Oct 2026 Checked against ACT's release and policy page. The stance answers the question as asked, so it is now No, because ACT argues against free GP visits; its release does not say whether fees or the prescription charge would change. [1][2]
  5. 18 Oct 2026 ACT announced $400 million over four years for general practice (pay, retention, extra hours, overseas recruitment). The entry now has a stated position and a full set of tradeoffs; it says nothing on patient fees or the prescription charge. [1][2]
  6. 17 Oct 2026 Introduced Frank Frizelle's quote as a general point about primary care, in the same words for every party. [7]
  7. 16 Oct 2026 Added Frank Frizelle's general point on affordability and capacity, in the same words for every party (owner's call). [7]
  8. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fourth agent review; described ACT as a coalition partner in the government that reinstated the charge, without implying a position. [9][8]
  9. 16 Oct 2026 Restated the reinstatement and ACT's place in the current government as two sourced facts. [9][8]
  10. 16 Oct 2026 Said that no ACT statement on the prescription charge was found. [3]
  11. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after agent review; cited the sources for the coalition's role in reinstating the prescription charge. [8][9]
  12. 15 Oct 2026 Checked party and independent sources; no stated position on GP or prescription costs found. [3][4]
As at 19 Oct 2026About ACTReport a problem with this entry

Green

The Greens' 2026 manifesto commits to "work towards a publicly delivered, fully free provision of dental and primary care services", including clinics run by Māori for Māori, and to fund mobile health and dental vans for rural areas. It does not say how GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change along the way. The party's 2025 alternative budget was more specific: a public Community Health Service providing free GP and nursing care, free prescriptions and free dental care, paid for with new taxes, including a wealth tax, and more borrowing. The 2026 manifesto also backs more funding for Pharmac. The biggest tradeoff: the plan aims at fully free primary and dental care for everyone, but gives no cost or timeline for it and does not tie it to a funding source.

  • The 2026 manifesto commits to work towards fully free, publicly delivered primary and dental care, including clinics run by Māori for Māori.

Who gains

  • Party claimThe Greens aim to make primary care free over time for people who now pay GP fees, and would fund mobile health and dental vans for rural communities; no timeline or fee changes are given. [1]
  • Party claimThe Greens say private provider costs are locking whānau out of primary health care. [1]

Who pays

  • Established evidenceThe 2026 manifesto does not link free primary care to a cost or a funding source. [2]
  • Party claimThe manifesto says its overall programme would be paid for partly by new taxes, including a 2.5% tax on net wealth over $10 million; it does not say how much of this would go to primary care. [2]
  • Party claimThe 2025 alternative budget as a whole was to be paid for with new taxes, including a wealth tax, and more borrowing; no separate funding was reported for the health package. [4]

Cost and costing disputes

  • Established evidenceNo cost has been published for the 2026 commitment, and no independent costing of it was found. [2]

Evidence from elsewhere

  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%), and 3.6% did not collect a prescription because of cost. The survey does not show how much of this is due to any particular fee or charge. [7]
  • Established evidenceA 2024 study found people who could not afford a prescription were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjustment for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health; the authors say residual confounding is possible and their estimate of hospital costs assumes a causal link, which may not hold, but argue other evidence makes one more likely, and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations". [8]

Risks and side effects

  • ContestedIn a general point about primary care, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Primary care requires both affordability and capacity. Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either". [5]
  • Established evidenceNo assessment of the Greens' public-clinic model against workforce limits was found. [2]

Implementation

  • Established evidenceThe manifesto says "work towards" and gives no timeline. [1]
  • Party claimThe 2025 alternative budget proposed a public Community Health Service, including publicly operated clinics in high-need areas. [3]
  • Established evidenceGeneral practices are private businesses that set their own fees. [9]

Strongest case for

  • Party claimThe Greens say private provider costs are locking whānau out of primary care, so health issues escalate unnecessarily. [1]
  • Independent estimateCollege of GPs chief executive Toby Beaglehole says primary care gets on average 6% of the health budget, against 14% internationally. [6]

Strongest case against

  • ContestedNo named critic of the Greens' free primary care plan was found. More generally, writing about all parties' plans, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Workforce may be the greatest constraint on almost every promise". [5]
  1. Manifesto 2026: Health · Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  2. Manifesto 2026 (full document) · Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  3. Green Budget 2025 · Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  4. Greens promise free doctor visits, childcare on back of new taxes, higher borrowing (RNZ, 13 May 2025) · Otago Daily Times · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  5. Election 2026 and health: promises, priorities and delivery (Frizelle, 9 October 2026) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  6. Budget 2026 misses the opportunity to invest in a sustainable, accessible and affordable primary care (28 May 2026) · Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  7. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  8. Consequences of cost barriers to prescriptions: cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand (Jeffreys et al., 17 May 2024) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  9. General practices (formerly "Visiting a doctor") · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
Change history

Every recorded change to this entry, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.

  1. 17 Oct 2026 Gave the prescription study's adjustment and confounding caveats as its authors do, and introduced Frank Frizelle's quote as a general point about primary care, in the same words for every party. [5]
  2. 16 Oct 2026 Added Frank Frizelle's general point on affordability and capacity to risks, in the same words for every party (owner's call). [5]
  3. 16 Oct 2026 Agent review; described the manifesto's funding statement without its campaign wording, and matched the biggest tradeoff to it. [2]
  4. 16 Oct 2026 Second fact-check; added the manifesto's own funding statement alongside the note that free primary care is not costed. [2]
  5. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after seventh agent review; gave the study authors' full view on causation. [8]
  6. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fifth agent review; said the reported taxes and borrowing fund the 2025 alternative budget as a whole, not the health package specifically. [4]
  7. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fourth agent review; typed the College of GPs funding-share figure as an independent estimate and attributed it to the College's chief executive, and added the prescription survey figure and the 2024 prescription study to evidence, as the other entries carry. [6][7][8]
  8. 16 Oct 2026 Typed the College of GPs figure as contested, as its other statements are. [6]
  9. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after second agent review; described the pharmacist and enrolment-funding measures neutrally, removed the whole-budget debt figure from the deep text, stated the commitment as "work towards" in the matrix cell, removed a party claim from evidence and a repeated workforce quote from risks. [1][4]
  10. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after agent review; typed the Greens' aim for people who pay GP fees as a party claim, removed the whole-budget debt figure from costing, and dropped a capacity concern raised about another party's plan. [1]
  11. 15 Oct 2026 First researched from party and independent sources. [1][2]
As at 17 Oct 2026About GreenReport a problem with this entry

Labour

Labour would give everyone eligible for public health care a Medicard, a card and app loaded with three free visits a year to a doctor or nurse at their own practice. After-hours, immunisation and ACC visits are not covered. From 1 July 2027 it would also remove the $5 prescription charge that most people aged 14 to 64 now pay. Labour costs the package at about $553 million a year once running ($490 million for visits) and free prescriptions at $74.5 million a year, paid for by its proposed 28% tax on gains from selling investment and commercial property. From July 2028 a new Independent Pricing Authority would set how much practices are paid. The biggest tradeoff: everyone gets three free visits a year and free prescriptions, at about $628 million a year once running on Labour's own costings, funded from a new tax whose revenue Labour ring-fences for health.

  • A card and app would load three free visits a year at a person's enrolled practice; Labour costs the visits at $490 million a year within a $553 million package.
  • Funded medicines from approved prescribers would be free at community pharmacies, which Labour costs at $74.5 million a year.
  • From July 2028 an Independent Pricing Authority would set a national GP funding rate, and fee income lost to free visits would be added to practice funding.

Who gains

  • Party claimUnder Labour's plan, people who now pay GP fees and prescription charges, mainly adults aged 14 to 64 without a Community Services Card, would not pay for three visits a year or for prescriptions. [1][9][7]
  • Party claimLabour says one in six New Zealanders cannot afford to see a doctor when sick. [1]
  • Established evidenceIn the 2024/25 Health Survey, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost. [10]
  • Established evidenceChildren 13 and under are already eligible for free GP visits, and under-14s, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders already get free prescriptions. [6][7]

Who pays

  • Party claimSellers of investment and commercial property, through a 28% tax on gains made after 1 July 2027, which Labour ring-fences for health. The family home, farms, shares, KiwiSaver and businesses are excluded; Labour says 9 in 10 people would not pay it. [1][2]

Cost and costing disputes

  • Party claimAbout $553 million a year once running for the card package, of which free visits are $490 million ($393.3 million for the package in 2027/28), and $74.5 million a year for free prescriptions. [1][2]
  • Established evidenceThese costings are Labour's own; no independent costing of either policy was found as at 15 October 2026. [1][2]
  • Independent estimateOfficials estimated in 2023 advice that the $5 charge could save Vote Health around $425 million over four years. [8]
  • Party claimAt Budget 2024 the government put net savings from the charge at $116 million over five years, reinvested in frontline services. [9]
  • Established evidenceThe officials' figure is a four-year estimate of savings to Vote Health and the Budget 2024 figure is a five-year net figure; the sources reviewed do not reconcile the two. [8][9]

Evidence from elsewhere

  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%), and 3.6% did not collect a prescription because of cost. The survey does not show how much of this is due to the $5 charge. [10]
  • Established evidenceA 2024 study found people who could not afford a prescription were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjustment for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health; the authors say residual confounding is possible and their estimate of hospital costs assumes a causal link, which may not hold, but argue other evidence makes one more likely, and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations". [11]

Risks and side effects

  • ContestedIn a general point about primary care, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Primary care requires both affordability and capacity. Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either". [12]
  • ContestedWriting about Labour's plan, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Cost is only one barrier to primary care. Removing patient charges will increase demand." He adds that Labour "therefore proposes the 'Family Doctor Loan Scheme'" to support doctors into practice ownership and increase primary care capacity. [12]
  • Established evidence1News reports that prescriptions from prescribers outside the approved list could still cost up to $15. [5]
  • ContestedGenPro's Angus Chambers says "there's a big question mark about whether we've got the capacity". [13]

Implementation

  • Party claimThe card would hold the person's National Health Index number and entitlement information, tracked in real time. The Independent Pricing Authority would operate by July 2028, with Health NZ funding rate increases the following year. [1]
  • Established evidenceGeneral practices are private businesses that set their own fees. [6]
  • Party claimLabour's Ayesha Verrall says the party worked with general practice providers on "a credible plan for releasing five million more visits", partly through an AI tool that transcribes patients' notes and phone triage by doctors. [13]

Strongest case for

  • Party claimLabour says an estimated 4 in 5 people would not pay for a routine GP visit from July 2028. [1]
  • ContestedLuke Bradford (College of GPs) welcomes "any policy that reduces barriers for people being able to access their GP". [13]

Strongest case against

  • ContestedLuke Bradford (College of GPs) has concerns about meeting demand. [13]
  • ContestedNicola Willis (National) says Labour is "prioritising free GP visits for millionaires, paid for by a tax on people's savings". Chris Hipkins says "This isn't a tax on the family home." [4]
  1. Free doctor's visits with the Medicard · New Zealand Labour Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  2. Free Prescriptions Under Labour · New Zealand Labour Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  3. Our Policies · New Zealand Labour Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  4. Labour announces targeted tax to fund free GP visits (28 October 2025) · Te Ao Māori News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  5. Labour vows to bring back free prescriptions axed by Govt (18 June 2026) · 1News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  6. General practices (formerly "Visiting a doctor") · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  7. Prescription co-payments · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  8. Manifesto Commitment: Reinstating the $5 prescription co-payment (briefing H2023033029, 30 November 2023), in Budget 2024 Health advice bundle 2 · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  9. Budget 2024: $5 prescription fee back in weeks - with some exceptions (30 May 2024) · 1News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  10. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  11. Consequences of cost barriers to prescriptions: cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand (Jeffreys et al., 17 May 2024) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  12. Election 2026 and health: promises, priorities and delivery (Frizelle, 9 October 2026) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  13. Labour's free GP visit policy: Doctors sceptical but party confident there is enough capacity to meet demand · NZ Herald · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  14. Budget 2023: Removing the $5 prescription charge will improve New Zealanders health (Pharmacy Guild statement, May 2023) · Pharmacy Today · accessed 16 Oct 2026
Change history

Every recorded change to this entry, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.

  1. 17 Oct 2026 Gave the prescription study's adjustment and confounding caveats as its authors do, and introduced Frank Frizelle's quote as a general point about primary care, in the same words for every party. [12]
  2. 17 Oct 2026 Said the costings are Labour's own and dated the search for an independent costing. [1][2]
  3. 17 Oct 2026 Agent review; cited Labour's own page for its one-in-six claim and gave the Health Survey figure as a separate item, and restored what Luke Bradford's concern is about. [1][10][13]
  4. 17 Oct 2026 Owner's call; set Chris Hipkins's answer beside Nicola Willis's criticism, shortened the Bradford item and moved Angus Chambers's capacity point to risks to keep the case against in balance. [4][13]
  5. 16 Oct 2026 Added Frank Frizelle's general point on affordability and capacity to risks, in the same words for every party (owner's call). [12]
  6. 16 Oct 2026 Second fact-check; said community pharmacies, gave officials' savings estimate as "could", quoted Frizelle's note on Labour's Family Doctor Loan Scheme, and added Verrall's answer on capacity. [5][8][12][13]
  7. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after seventh agent review; gave the study authors' full view on causation. [11]
  8. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after sixth agent review; linked the card's announcement date to Te Ao Māori News, and stated the savings figures' different bases in a separate claim sourced to both documents. [4][8]
  9. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fifth agent review; sourced the 1 July 2023 removal of the charge to Pharmacy Today alone, as the Ministry of Health page no longer loads for checking. [14]
  10. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fourth agent review; added a second source for the 1 July 2023 removal of the charge and for who pays it, and said the sources do not reconcile the officials' and Budget 2024 savings figures. [14][9]
  11. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after third agent review; described the card as holding the person's health index number and entitlements, as Labour's page does. [1]
  12. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after second agent review; separated the $490 million for free visits from the $553 million package, attributed the cost figures, quoted the GP critics' own words, gave Frizelle's fuller quote, added Labour's own case and the 2023 removal of the charge, and removed the College of GPs funding-share figure from the case for. [1][13][12] Ministry of Health
  13. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after agent review; gave the Health Survey figure beside Labour's one-in-six claim, removed National's overall fiscal-plan dispute from costing, added the College of GPs' funding-share figure to the case for, and added the study authors' point on avoidable hospitalisations. [10] Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners[11]
  14. 15 Oct 2026 First researched from party and independent sources. [1][2]
As at 17 Oct 2026About LabourReport a problem with this entry

National

National has no new election policy on GP or prescription costs; its approach comes from its record in government. In 2024 the National-led government reinstated the $5 prescription charge for people aged 14 and over, keeping prescriptions free for children under 14, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders, with no charge after 20 items a year. In June 2026 a Health NZ package added $120.6 million in GP funding for 2026/27 and held fees to 1 July 2027, with exceptions; National says 86% of clinics accepted it. Its health election policy is more Pharmac funding, which does not change GP fees or prescription charges. The biggest tradeoff: charges stay targeted, with savings the government says go to frontline services and cancer medicines, but adults 14 to 64 without a card pay for visits and prescriptions, and fee settings after July 2027 are unstated.

  • The government reinstated the charge in July 2024; children 13 and under also remain eligible for free GP visits.
  • A Health NZ funding deal, which National says 86% of clinics accepted, lifts per-patient funding in return for holding visit fees for 12 months, with exceptions.

Who gains

  • Party claimThe health budget: the government said reinstating the charge would save $116 million net over five years, reinvested in frontline services and new cancer medicines. [5]
  • Established evidenceChildren under 14, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders stay exempt from the charge, and the 20-item cap limits what a family pays in a year. [9]
  • Established evidencePatients at practices that hold their fees avoid a rise until 1 July 2027. [7]
  • ContestedLuke Bradford, president of the College of GPs, says how much each practice's funding rises depends on its patients: "It's more if you've got older patients, or if you're very rural, or if you've got patients with lots of comorbidities". [7]

Who pays

  • Established evidenceAdults aged 14 to 64 without a Community Services Card pay $5 per prescription item, up to 20 items a year, plus GP fees set by each practice. [5][9][10]
  • Established evidenceHealth NZ agreed to raise primary care funding by $120.6 million in 2026/27. [7]

Cost and costing disputes

  • Established evidenceThe GP funding package adds $120.6 million in 2026/27; RNZ reported $30.4 million of the in-principle deal was to fund fee stability. [7]
  • Party claimNational says the package adds $120.6 million each year. [4]
  • Independent estimateOfficials estimated in 2023 advice that the $5 charge could save Vote Health around $425 million over four years. [11]
  • Party claimAt Budget 2024 the government put net savings from the charge at $116 million over five years, reinvested in frontline services. [5]
  • Established evidenceThe officials' figure is a four-year estimate of savings to Vote Health and the Budget 2024 figure is a five-year net figure; the sources reviewed do not reconcile the two. [11][5]

Evidence from elsewhere

  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%), and 3.6% did not collect a prescription because of cost. The survey does not show how much of this is due to the $5 charge. [12]
  • Established evidenceA 2024 study found people who could not afford a prescription were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjustment for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health; the authors say residual confounding is possible and their estimate of hospital costs assumes a causal link, which may not hold, but argue other evidence makes one more likely, and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations". [13]

Risks and side effects

  • ContestedIn a general point about primary care, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Primary care requires both affordability and capacity. Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either". [1]
  • Independent estimateOfficials warned in 2023 advice that the charge "could lead to an increase in people delaying or avoiding collecting their medicine", noting that Māori, Pacific people and disabled people are disproportionately on lower incomes. [11]
  • ContestedGenPro's Angus Chambers says "there is every prospect of larger fee increases in 2027" unless funding changes, as transitional support falls. [14]

Implementation

  • Established evidenceUnder the in-principle deal RNZ reported in June 2026, GP visit costs would stay at current levels until 1 July 2027, and practices could seek permission to raise fees if they faced closure, had to cut services, or needed money for buildings to take on more patients. A revised per-patient funding formula would be in place from 1 July 2026. [7]
  • Established evidenceGeneral practices are private businesses that set their own fees. [10]

Strongest case for

  • Party claimHealth Minister Shane Reti said the charge helps "ensure resources are targeted to those who are most in need". [5]
  • Party claimSimeon Brown says the GP funding deal "puts more money into frontline services so clinics can stay open, see more patients". [4]

Strongest case against

  • ContestedLabour's Ayesha Verrall says the fee hold "doesn't solve the problem, it locks it in place." [7]
  • ContestedCriticising Budget 2026's primary care funding, Luke Bradford (College of GPs) said "patients are struggling to afford to see their GP". [8]
  1. Election 2026 and health: promises, priorities and delivery (Frizelle, 9 October 2026) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  2. Policies · New Zealand National Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026 · archived copy (15 Oct 2026)
  3. More medicines and earlier care · New Zealand National Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  4. GPs overwhelmingly back funding deal (19 June 2026) · New Zealand National Party · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  5. Budget 2024: $5 prescription fee back in weeks - with some exceptions (30 May 2024) · 1News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  6. Labour vows to bring back free prescriptions axed by Govt (18 June 2026) · 1News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  7. GP fees won't increase for 12 months under new proposal (RNZ, June 2026) · Otago Daily Times · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  8. Budget 2026 misses the opportunity to invest in a sustainable, accessible and affordable primary care (28 May 2026) · Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  9. Prescription co-payments · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  10. General practices (formerly "Visiting a doctor") · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  11. Manifesto Commitment: Reinstating the $5 prescription co-payment (briefing H2023033029, 30 November 2023), in Budget 2024 Health advice bundle 2 · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  12. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  13. Consequences of cost barriers to prescriptions: cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand (Jeffreys et al., 17 May 2024) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  14. GenPro Says Patient Fees Still Likely To Rise Despite Government Funding Package (7 July 2026) · General Practice Owners Association (via Scoop) · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  15. Labour announces targeted tax to fund free GP visits (28 October 2025) · Te Ao Māori News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
Change history

Every recorded change to this entry, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.

  1. 17 Oct 2026 Gave the prescription study's adjustment and confounding caveats as its authors do, and introduced Frank Frizelle's quote as a general point about primary care, in the same words for every party. [1]
  2. 16 Oct 2026 Agent review; replaced a repeated fact in the case for with Simeon Brown's argument for the GP funding deal. [4]
  3. 16 Oct 2026 Added Frank Frizelle's general point on affordability and capacity to risks, in the same words for every party (owner's call). [1]
  4. 16 Oct 2026 Second fact-check; gave officials' savings estimate and access warning as written, and described Luke Bradford's point on how much funding rises. [11][7]
  5. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after seventh agent review; described the fee hold as the in-principle deal RNZ reported, with all three exceptions, quoted Luke Bradford in full, said Health NZ funds the package increase, and gave the study authors' full view on causation. [7][13]
  6. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after sixth agent review; removed an unsupported note that officials advised on a different design (the advice assumed the same exemptions), stated the savings figures' different bases in a separate claim, and said cervical screening is for women, as National's page does. [11][3]
  7. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after fourth agent review; quoted Luke Bradford's own words on the revised formula, added 1News as a source for who pays the charge, and said the sources do not reconcile the officials' and Budget 2024 savings figures. [7][5]
  8. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after third agent review; gave the $120.6 million as the 2026/27 figure, with National's each-year statement as its claim, and moved the Pharmac figure to the deep text. [7][4][3]
  9. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after second agent review; added taxpayers' share of the GP funding package and exempt prescriptions to who pays. [4][9]
  10. 16 Oct 2026 Revised after agent review; restated the glance and biggest tradeoff from the government's record, noted the officials' advice was on a different design, and added the study authors' point on avoidable hospitalisations. [11][13]
  11. 15 Oct 2026 First researched from party and independent sources. [3][4]
As at 17 Oct 2026About NationalReport a problem with this entry

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori's 2026 policy manifesto commits to "Invest in free primary healthcare for all whānau", along with free dental care, free medication delivery, marae-based clinics and mobile units, and more funding for Pharmac. It does not say how GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change along the way. The manifesto also commits to re-establish Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, and to transfer 25% of total health and ACC funding to Māori-led systems. In 2023 the party proposed free GP and dental care for whānau earning under $60,000. The biggest tradeoff: the plan aims at free primary and dental care for all whānau, but gives no cost or timeline for it and does not tie it to a funding source.

  • The 2026 policy manifesto commits to invest in free primary healthcare, free dental care and free medication delivery for all whānau.

Who gains

  • Party claimTe Pāti Māori says it would invest in free primary and dental care for all whānau, with marae-based clinics and mobile units; no timeline or fee changes are given. [1]

Who pays

  • Established evidenceThe manifesto's health section does not link free primary care to a cost or a funding source. [1]

Cost and costing disputes

  • Established evidenceNo cost has been published for the commitment, and no independent costing of it was found. [1]

Evidence from elsewhere

  • Established evidenceIn 2024/25, 14.9% of adults did not visit a GP because of cost (Pacific adults 25.1%, Māori 18.7%), and 3.6% did not collect a prescription because of cost. The survey does not show how much of this is due to any particular fee or charge. [7]
  • Established evidenceA 2024 study found people who could not afford a prescription were 34% more likely to be hospitalised after adjustment for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health; the authors say residual confounding is possible and their estimate of hospital costs assumes a causal link, which may not hold, but argue other evidence makes one more likely, and that co-payment revenue "may be offset by the costs associated with avoidable hospitalisations". [8]

Risks and side effects

  • ContestedIn a general point about primary care, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Primary care requires both affordability and capacity. Making consultations free without having clinicians available will not solve access, while increasing workforce without addressing financial barriers will not solve it either". [5]
  • Established evidenceNo assessment of Te Pāti Māori's plan against workforce limits was found. [1]

Implementation

  • Established evidenceThe manifesto says "invest in" and gives no timeline. [1]
  • Established evidenceGeneral practices are private businesses that set their own fees. [9]

Strongest case for

  • Party claimTe Pāti Māori says Māori die seven years earlier than non-Māori and that cost pressures reduce access to care. [1]
  • Independent estimateCollege of GPs chief executive Toby Beaglehole says primary care gets on average 6% of the health budget, against 14% internationally. [6]

Strongest case against

  • ContestedNo named critic of Te Pāti Māori's free primary care plan was found. More generally, writing about all parties' plans, Frank Frizelle (NZMJ) says "Workforce may be the greatest constraint on almost every promise". [5]
  1. Te Pāti Māori Policy Manifesto 2026: Health (pages 54 to 56) · Te Pāti Māori · accessed 17 Oct 2026
  2. Health · Te Pāti Māori · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  3. Cost of Living · Te Pāti Māori · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  4. Te Pāti Māori wants free health and dental for families on $60k or less (31 August 2023) · Te Ao Māori News · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  5. Election 2026 and health: promises, priorities and delivery (Frizelle, 9 October 2026) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  6. Budget 2026 misses the opportunity to invest in a sustainable, accessible and affordable primary care (28 May 2026) · Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  7. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey · Ministry of Health · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  8. Consequences of cost barriers to prescriptions: cohort study in Aotearoa New Zealand (Jeffreys et al., 17 May 2024) · New Zealand Medical Journal · accessed 15 Oct 2026
  9. General practices (formerly "Visiting a doctor") · Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora · accessed 15 Oct 2026
Change history

Every recorded change to this entry, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.

  1. 17 Oct 2026 Gave the prescription study's adjustment and confounding caveats as its authors do, and introduced Frank Frizelle's quote as a general point about primary care, in the same words for every party. [5]
  2. 17 Oct 2026 Read the full health policy linked from the party's health page, which could not be opened before. It commits to invest in free primary healthcare for all whānau, so the entry now has that position, tagged like the Greens' commitment to work towards free primary care, with the same shared evidence, risks and case against. [1]
  3. 16 Oct 2026 Added Frank Frizelle's general point on affordability and capacity, in the same words for every party (owner's call). [5]
  4. 16 Oct 2026 Second fact-check; quoted the party's cost-of-living line on medicine costs. Te Pāti Māori
  5. 15 Oct 2026 Checked party and independent sources; no stated position on GP or prescription costs found. [2] Te Pāti Māori
As at 17 Oct 2026About Te Pāti MāoriReport a problem with this entry