ChatGPT · No location
I rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties proposing about GP costs and access for working people who struggle to afford an appointment?
NZ 2026 election: GP costs and access for working people
For someone renting, sharing household costs with a partner, and working changing shifts, there are two distinct questions to consider: Will you be able to afford a GP appointment when your pay is lower than expected, and will you actually be able to get an appointment when you need one?
As of 26 October 2026, New Zealand's main parties differ on whether to reduce or remove patient charges, increase funding for general practices, or pursue both approaches. The general election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?2026 Election Q&A
What the parties are proposing
The comparison below focuses on published 2026 positions, rather than assuming every party has a fully costed policy.
New Zealand Labour Party
Three free visits proposed
Labour proposes a Medicard, available to everyone eligible for publicly funded healthcare, providing three free GP or nurse visits per year at their enrolled practice. It also proposes removing the $5 prescription charge from 1 July 2027.
Labour estimates the free-visit package would cost $553 million annually, including $490 million for the visits, and says it would fund the package through a proposed 28% tax on gains from selling investment and commercial property. It also proposes an independent authority to set GP funding rates from July 2028.
For your situation: this would directly reduce the cost of routine appointments, including in weeks when your income falls. However, after-hours visits, ACC visits and immunisations are excluded from the Medicard offer, and three visits may not cover all your needs. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Fully free care is the long-term goal
The Greens propose working towards fully free, publicly delivered primary and dental care. Their manifesto includes Māori-led clinics and mobile health and dental services for rural communities.
The 2026 manifesto does not specify a timetable or cost for achieving fully free primary care, nor exactly how existing GP fees and prescription charges would change during the transition.
For your situation: the goal is to remove the financial barrier more broadly, rather than provide only a fixed number of free visits. The key unanswered questions are how quickly it would happen and how it would be funded and delivered. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
Te Pāti Māori
Free primary care proposed
Te Pāti Māori commits to investing in free primary healthcare for all whānau, alongside free dental care, free medication delivery, marae-based clinics, mobile health units and increased Pharmac funding.
Its manifesto does not specify a delivery timetable or an independently assessed cost for the free-primary-care commitment.
For your situation: the proposal aims to remove fees across primary care, rather than limit free routine visits to three per year. Its practical impact would depend on the details of implementation and available appointment capacity. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
ACT New Zealand
More GP capacity proposed
ACT proposes an additional $400 million for general practice over four years — $100 million annually — to help practices retain experienced doctors, offer competitive pay and potentially provide more appointments and longer opening hours.
ACT argues that making visits free could increase demand without solving the shortage of doctors. Its announced plan does not specify a reduction in GP fees, a change to prescription charges or a funding source for the additional $400 million.
For your situation: the focus is on making appointments more available, rather than directly making them cheaper. Whether this would reduce your out-of-pocket costs is not established by the announced policy. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
New Zealand National Party
Current approach: subsidise practices
National has not announced a new election policy specifically to make GP visits free or remove prescription charges. Its position is reflected in its record in government.
A 2026 Health NZ funding agreement added $120.6 million in GP funding for 2026/27 and holds practice fees until 1 July 2027, subject to exceptions. The government also reinstated the $5 prescription charge in July 2024 for most people aged 14 and over.
For your situation: the fee-hold arrangement offers some short-term price stability, but it does not make appointments free. The policy beyond July 2027 is not specified in this comparison. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
New Zealand First
No specific published position was identified in the reviewed 2026 material on reducing GP fees or removing the $5 prescription charge.
The party has other health-related priorities, but these should not be taken as a commitment to free GP visits. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
The Opportunity Party
Opportunity has not stated a specific position on GP fees or prescription charges in the material reviewed. It does support a 10-year, cross-party plan for health, including a larger role for primary care.
For your situation: this is a broader health-system proposal, not a specific promise to reduce what you pay at your next GP visit. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
What matters when your pay changes from week to week?
The differences become clearer when you separate the cost of care from the ability to get care.
| Question to ask | Relevant party proposals |
|---|---|
| Could I pay less for a routine GP appointment? | Labour's three free visits; the Greens' and Te Pāti Māori's longer-term free-care proposals |
| Could it become easier to get an appointment? | ACT's proposed GP workforce funding; also consider how each party plans to increase primary-care capacity |
| Could I face more predictable charges? | National's fee-hold agreement until July 2027, subject to exceptions; Labour's proposed free visits for eligible routine care |
| What if I need more than three appointments a year? | Compare Labour's limit with the Greens' and Te Pāti Māori's broader free-care goals |
| What about prescriptions as well as consultations? | Labour proposes removing the $5 prescription charge; the other parties' positions differ or remain unspecified |
Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
There is a reason to consider both affordability and access. In the 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey, 14.9% of adults reported not visiting a GP because of cost, while 25.5% reported that the time taken to get an appointment was a barrier. These are separate problems: removing a fee will not automatically create more appointment slots, and adding doctors will not automatically make visits affordable. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
A practical point about your eligibility
You may also qualify for existing assistance, regardless of which party you vote for:
- Community Services Card: eligible people pay less for many GP visits and some prescriptions. Eligibility depends on circumstances and income; irregular earnings are worth discussing with Work and Income.
- Practice fees: GP practices set their own fees, so it is worth asking your enrolled practice about its standard, after-hours and nurse-consultation charges.
- Prescription costs: the $5 prescription charge generally applies to eligible people aged 14–64 who do not qualify for an exemption, subject to the applicable annual limit and other rules. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
How to use this comparison when deciding your vote
Given your circumstances, you might want to weigh three questions separately:
- Immediate financial protection: Does the policy lower the amount you must pay in a low-income week?
- Ongoing protection: Does it help if you need frequent appointments or prescriptions over the year?
- Practical access: Does the party explain how it will make enough appointments available, including at times that fit around rostered shifts?
No single policy announcement guarantees all three. The published plans also vary in how much detail they provide about funding, timing and implementation. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
You can read the full party-by-party evidence in Undecided's 2026 comparison of GP and prescription costs, which distinguishes announced commitments from policies that have not been specified.
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.
Captured 26 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account