--- title: "PF124 · Captured AI answers" publisher: "Onsomble Limited" publication: "NZBrands.ai" edition: 2 collected_on: "2026-10-12" html_url: "https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/2/questions/3a7fd361-8c58-4043-a321-ad675fd38afc/" --- # PF124 · Captured AI answers Edition 2 · answers collected 12 October 2026. [Read on NZBrands.ai](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/2/questions/3a7fd361-8c58-4043-a321-ad675fd38afc/) ## Question For the 2026 New Zealand general election: How do parties plan to improve GP access and hospital waiting times, and what have they said about staffing and funding? Question ID: 3a7fd361-8c58-4043-a321-ad675fd38afc. Report reference: PF124. Issue: Healthcare. Voter: No voter described. [Source record (JSON)](https://nzbrands.ai/data/nz-election-2026/editions/2/answers/3a7fd361-8c58-4043-a321-ad675fd38afc.json) ## How to read this evidence The answers below are shown as the assistants gave them, not a verified account or NZBrands.ai voting advice. They may contain errors or outdated claims. A recorded source association is not necessarily a link shown to the reader. Captured 12 October 2026. 3 answers were saved for this question. Missing answers have not been filled in. [Study methodology and limitations](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/2/method.md) ## ChatGPT · asked nationally Answer ID: 1940c00f-19b3-4ea7-9422-abd637ae5bc8. Captured 12 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** Below is a comparison of the main New Zealand parties’ **2026 general election health proposals**, focusing on **GP access, hospital waiting times, staffing, and funding**. Policies can change during campaigns, so this reflects publicly available positions and summaries close to the election period. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Party | GP access | Hospital waiting times | Staffing | Funding approach | |---|---|---|---|---| | National Party of New Zealand | Focuses on improving capacity and access rather than making GP visits broadly free. It points to expanded urgent care, online GP services, and increasing primary-care capacity. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Uses health targets and increased use of public and private capacity to reduce waits. It highlights the Elective Boost programme and planned-care funding. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Emphasises increasing training capacity, including more medical training places and the Waikato medical school, and growing frontline workforce capacity. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Argues for making existing health spending deliver more, with targeted investments in services and capacity. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | New Zealand Labour Party | Proposes a “Medicard” giving eligible New Zealanders three free GP visits each year. Labour argues cost barriers contribute to delayed care. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Focuses on reducing pressure on hospitals by improving access to primary care and strengthening public services. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Proposes guaranteeing jobs for eligible NZ-trained graduate nurses from 2027 and a Family Doctor Loan Scheme to support GP recruitment and ownership. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Has proposed funding free GP visits through new revenue measures, including a capital gains tax proposal. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand | Supports expanding free access to primary care, including free GP visits and community-based services targeted at areas with higher need. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Argues investment should focus on strengthening the public system rather than expanding private provision. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Emphasises stronger public health workforce investment and reducing workforce pressures. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Has proposed major increases in health funding, including a target of lifting health spending as a share of GDP. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | ACT New Zealand | Supports a more mixed model, with government acting more as a purchaser of services and greater private-sector involvement. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Argues private capacity can help reduce waiting times and wants greater use of alternative providers. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Emphasises workforce flexibility and system efficiency rather than primarily increasing public provision. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Focuses on changing how services are purchased and delivered rather than large broad funding increases. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | New Zealand First | Has focused on improving access and reducing delays, including through targeted health initiatives. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Has promoted a waitlist-reduction approach, including a dedicated funding focus for reducing backlogs. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Generally emphasises workforce retention, training, and addressing shortages. [NZ Resident Doctors' Association](https://nzrda.org.nz/resources/2026-election-policy-summaries/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Has highlighted targeted funds for reducing waiting lists rather than universal new entitlements. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | Te Pāti Māori | Supports expanding free primary care, including proposals aimed at reducing cost barriers for whānau. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Emphasises improving equity of access and Māori health outcomes as part of reducing unmet need. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Supports stronger Māori health workforce development and investment in community-led care. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | Proposes targeted funding approaches focused on reducing inequities and improving outcomes. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | ## Key areas of disagreement - **Free GP visits vs expanding capacity:** Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori have emphasised reducing patient charges, while National and ACT have focused more on increasing capacity, productivity, and service options. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Public system vs private capacity:** National and ACT have supported using private-sector capacity to help with waits; Labour and the Greens have raised concerns about relying on private providers and emphasised strengthening public services. [WhichParty NZ](https://whichparty.nz/topics/health?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Workforce shortages:** All major parties identify workforce as a constraint, but differ on whether the main solution is more training places, recruitment incentives, employment guarantees, immigration settings, or changes to how care is delivered. [NZ Medical Journal](https://www.nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-139-no-1643/election-2026-and-health-promises-priorities-and-delivery?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For context, the current health system targets include getting **more than 80% of people access to a GP appointment within one week**, and reducing delays for emergency departments, specialist assessments, and elective treatment. [health.govt.nz](https://www.health.govt.nz/strategies-initiatives/programmes-and-initiatives/primary-and-community-health-care/primary-care-health-target?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **End captured answer** ## Gemini · asked nationally Answer ID: 245d9000-acc7-455f-9a41-95a6fb2e14ce. Captured 12 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** For the **2026 New Zealand general election**, health care—particularly GP access, hospital wait times, workforce retention, and funding models—is a central battleground. Political parties have taken distinct approaches, divided largely between universal, publicly provided models and targeted, market- or private-partnership approaches. --- ### 1. GP Access and Affordability * **Labour:** Features a flagship policy introducing the **"Medicard,"** which provides **three free general practitioner (GP) consultations** each year for every New Zealander entitled to publicly funded healthcare. Labour also proposes a "Family Doctor Loan Scheme" to support doctors entering practice ownership, alongside administrative overhauls (like clinical phone triage and technology support) aimed at freeing up millions of GP appointments. * **The Greens:** Propose going further than Labour by offering **unlimited free GP visits** and free dental care for everyone, prioritizing community care clinics in high-need areas first. * **Te Pāti Māori:** Supports free primary care and dental for all whānau earning under $60,000, alongside a Māori Health Card that links funding directly to the patient. * **National and ACT:** Generally oppose universal blanket subsidies like Labour's Medicard (with National critics calling it "free GP visits for millionaires"). Instead, National has favored targeted investments in primary care capacity and expanding the scope of practice for roles like pharmacists. ACT leans toward a government-as-purchaser model, encouraging alternative health savings frameworks. --- ### 2. Hospital Waiting Times and Elective Surgeries * **The Coalition Government (National-led):** Has focused on meeting formal health targets—such as ensuring 95% of patients are admitted, discharged, or transferred from emergency departments within six hours, and that patients wait less than four months for elective treatments. To cut backlogs, the government has directed Health New Zealand to utilize **long-term private hospital contracts** and expanded outsourcing programs (such as the "Elective Boost" initiative) to perform publicly funded surgeries. * **Labour and the Greens:** Strongly criticize the outsourcing of surgeries to private providers, arguing it diverts critical funding away from the public system and creates a two-tier system. Labour has pledged to tackle the hospital infrastructure and repair backlog directly. * **New Zealand First:** Has emphasized a focus on a dedicated waitlist reduction fund and rapid diagnostics to ease hospital bottlenecks, while supporting public system resourcing. --- ### 3. Staffing and Workforce * **Labour:** Has pledged to **guarantee employment to eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurses** starting from 2027 and fund additional trainee sonographer positions to expand maternity and diagnostic scanning capacity. They have also maintained support for the ongoing construction of the Waikato medical school. * **The Greens and Te Pāti Māori:** Both advocate heavily for increased investments in workforce training, fair wages, guaranteed pay equity, and better working conditions to stem burnout and retention crises. They also emphasize growing the Māori health workforce through culturally safe pathways. * **National and ACT:** Focus workforce initiatives on modernizing training pathways, expanding the scope of practice for non-doctor medical professionals (like pharmacists and physician associates), and driving administrative efficiencies within Health New Zealand rather than relying solely on blanket public recruitment targets. --- ### 4. Funding Models * **Labour:** Proposes funding its expanded primary care and health commitments through a **28% capital gains tax** on profits from specified residential investment and commercial property (excluding the family home and farms), which would be legally ring-fenced for health. * **The Greens:** Propose a broader wealth tax to underwrite universal public healthcare, dental care, and mental health services, aiming to lift overall health spending toward 9% of GDP. * **National / Current Government:** Emphasizes squeezing better value out of existing baselines, increasing Pharmac's combined pharmaceutical budget, and leveraging public-private partnerships to build specialized infrastructure (such as independent cancer centers) rather than introducing sweeping new capital gains taxes. --- *Are there specific health policies or individual party manifestos from this election cycle that you would like to explore in more detail?* **End captured answer** ## Google AI Mode · asked nationally Answer ID: 0867f8ee-73d3-46e6-a3eb-cf04e42feae2. Captured 12 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** For the 2026 New Zealand general election, healthcare, GP access, hospital waiting times, and workforce constraints have emerged as central campaign topics. Different political parties approach these challenges through distinct ideological lenses—ranging from universal state-backed funding models to private sector integration and targeted auxiliary workforce utilization. **Labour Party** * * **GP Access & Affordability**: According to health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall, Labour’s flagship primary care policy is the "Medicard," which provides every New Zealander with three free GP visits per year. Labour states this will remove cost barriers for the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who cannot afford a doctor, freeing up millions of appointments. * **Funding & Staffing**: Labour proposes reforming capitation funding via an Independent Pricing Authority and assisting GPs in setting up their own practices. The Medicard initiative is costed at approximately $550 million and intended to be funded by capital gains tax revenue. * **Hospital Waiting Times** : Labour positions early intervention and primary care affordability as the primary mechanism to relieve downstream pressure and reduce bottlenecks on hospital waiting lists. [NZDoctor] * **National Party (Current Government)** * * **GP Access & Hospital Wait Times**: As outlined in their delivery and campaign platforms, National focuses on "fixing the basics" via measured performance targets, expanded urgent and after-hours services, and online general practice care. They report utilizing combined public and private capacity (such as the Elective Boost programme) to clear backlogs. * **Funding & Staffing**: National highlights record health investments, including funding allocated in Budgets 2025 and 2026 aimed at thousands of additional planned-care treatments, inpatient episodes, ED events, and general practice enrolments. To address workforce shortages, they point to international recruitment and the progression of a third medical school (Waikato). * **Criticism of Opponents** : National leaders have criticized Labour’s universal free GP policy as "uncooked" and argued that broad subsidies should not apply to high-income earners. [WhichParty NZ] * **New Zealand First** * * **Hospital Waiting Times** : New Zealand First highlights a specific $925 million annual GP-controlled "Waitlist Reduction Fund". This fund would allow general practitioners to directly purchase approved specialist consultations and operations for patients stuck on public waiting lists, shifting purchasing power closer to primary care. * **Staffing** : Estimating a shortage of roughly 2,000 doctors, New Zealand First prioritizes international recruitment alongside simplified registration pathways for qualified international doctors. They also advocate for nurse practitioner-led digital health clinics in under-resourced areas and reduced administrative burdens. [WhichParty NZ] * **ACT Party** * * **GP Access & Funding Model**: ACT rejects universal free-visit models, preferring a government-as-purchaser framework. ACT has proposed structural alternatives including a financial incentive (noted around $6,000) to encourage individuals to opt out of the public health system entirely in favor of private health coverage. * **Staffing & Efficiency**: ACT emphasizes expanding the scope of practice for allied health professionals—advocating that pharmacists and other non-GP roles be more widely funded and empowered to handle routine care to ease primary sector bottlenecks. * **Green Party** * * **GP & Dental Access**: The Green Party advocates for comprehensive, universal services, pushing for unlimited free GP visits alongside universal free dental care. * **Funding** : The Greens propose funding these expansions through a wealth tax, prioritizing community care clinics in high-need geographical areas first. [WhichParty NZ] **End captured answer** ## Publication and corrections Published and funded by Onsomble Limited. NZBrands.ai takes no view on any party or policy. 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