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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?
The key issue in your situation is that your income can change from week to week, but the cost of seeing a GP doesn't change with it. If rent and essential bills have already taken most of a week's pay, even a relatively ordinary GP fee can become something you put off.
For the 2026 New Zealand general election, parties have quite different approaches. Some want to make appointments free or substantially cheaper; others want to increase the number of available appointments without necessarily reducing what patients pay.
I've compared the published 2026 policies of the main parties, using information available as at 31 October 2026.
1. What the parties are proposing
Comparison of GP affordability and access — New Zealand general election 2026
Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
Three free visits a year
Labour proposes:
- Three free GP or nurse appointments every year for every eligible New Zealander.
- A Medicard and app that provides three free appointments at your enrolled practice.
- Removing the $5 prescription charge from 1 July 2027.
- An Independent Pricing Authority to establish national GP funding rates from July 2028.
- Additional funding to help practices maintain services and cover the cost of free appointments.
What this could mean for you: You would have three appointments each year without paying the normal consultation fee, regardless of whether your income happened to be higher or lower that week.
The policy is universal rather than dependent on passing an income test.
There are limitations: after-hours, immunisation and ACC appointments are excluded from the Medicard proposal.
Labour says the programme will cost approximately $553 million annually, including $490 million for the free appointments. It proposes funding its health commitments through a tax on gains from investment and commercial property.
Source: Labour's 2026 Cost of Living Plan. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Fully free primary care ambition
The Greens propose:
- Working towards fully free primary healthcare, including GP and nurse appointments.
- Publicly delivered primary healthcare services.
- Māori-led health clinics.
- Mobile health and dental services, particularly for rural communities.
- More investment in the health workforce and primary care.
What this could mean for you: The longer-term objective is that paying a consultation fee would no longer be a barrier to accessing primary healthcare.
However, the 2026 manifesto does not give a specific date for making GP appointments free, nor does it specify a transition plan for existing GP fees.
The party's wider health funding proposal includes an additional $3 billion annually over four years, but the amount specifically allocated to free GP visits is not identified.
Source: Green Party 2026 manifesto. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?Manifesto 2026
Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori
Free primary care commitment
Te Pāti Māori proposes:
- Investing in free primary healthcare for all whānau.
- Free dental care.
- Free medication delivery.
- More marae-based health clinics and mobile health services.
- Re-establishing Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority.
- Transferring 25% of total health and ACC funding to Māori-led systems.
What this could mean for you: Its stated objective is to remove the cost barrier to primary healthcare, rather than relying on people having sufficient spare income to pay for appointments.
However, the manifesto does not specify a precise implementation date or detailed cost for making primary care free.
Source: Te Pāti Māori policy comparison.
ACT
ACT New Zealand
More GP appointments
ACT has announced an additional $400 million investment in general practice over four years.
It proposes:
- An ongoing $100 million annual increase in general practice funding.
- Better remuneration to retain experienced GPs.
- Encouraging practices to offer additional appointment hours.
- Attracting more overseas-trained doctors.
- Reducing registration barriers for qualified doctors.
ACT argues that making appointments free without increasing the number of available doctors could make appointment shortages worse.
What this could mean for you: You could potentially have more opportunities to get an appointment, including outside conventional hours, but ACT has not promised to reduce or remove standard GP consultation fees.
It has not specified a new income-based subsidy for people whose earnings fluctuate.
Source: ACT – Shorter Waits for your GP. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
National
New Zealand National Party
Funding and access improvements
National's approach is primarily based on its record in government rather than a new commitment to make GP visits free.
Its measures include:
- An additional $120.6 million in general practice funding for 2026/27.
- An agreement with practices to hold fees until July 2027, subject to exceptions.
- A 24/7 online GP service.
- More urgent and after-hours clinics.
- Expanding the role of pharmacists so they can provide treatment for certain common conditions.
- More doctors and nurses in primary care.
National also reinstated the $5 prescription charge in July 2024 for most adults aged 14–64.
What this could mean for you: More appointment options, online care and pharmacy services could make it easier to access treatment. However, there is no new universal promise to remove standard GP fees.
The existing fee agreement is temporary, and exceptions apply.
Sources: National's healthcare programme and Expanded pharmacy services. Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?Kiwis access 24/7 primary healthcare anywhere in New Zealand
New Zealand First
New Zealand First
No clear 2026 fee commitment found
I could not verify a specific 2026 election commitment to make GP appointments free, reduce standard consultation fees or introduce a subsidy for workers with fluctuating incomes.
Its previously published health policies have included:
- Increasing GP funding.
- Recruiting more doctors.
- Expanding nurse practitioner services.
- Supporting digital health clinics in areas with workforce shortages.
However, those older policies should not automatically be treated as new 2026 election promises.
Source: New Zealand First's published health policies.
The Opportunity Party
The Opportunity Party
Long-term health funding reform
Opportunity proposes:
- A 10-year, cross-party health plan.
- Increasing health funding towards 9% of GDP.
- Increasing the proportion of health funding allocated to primary care.
- Better support and retention for frontline health workers.
- More emphasis on preventative healthcare.
Its focus is on making primary healthcare more sustainable and adequately funded.
What this could mean for you: Better-funded GP practices could improve service availability and workforce capacity over time. However, Opportunity has not published a specific commitment to free GP appointments or remove consultation fees.
Source: Opportunity – Healthy People.
2. How the proposals compare
This table focuses on the things that could make a difference when your weekly income changes.
| Party | Free GP visits? | Specific GP access measures? |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 3 annually | Medicard and practice funding |
| Greens | Working towards fully free care | Public clinics, mobile services |
| Te Pāti Māori | Free primary care commitment | Marae clinics and mobile services |
| ACT | No | $400m GP investment |
| National | No new universal promise | Online GP, more clinics, pharmacy services |
| NZ First | No verified 2026 commitment | Historical workforce and funding proposals |
| Opportunity | No specific promise | More primary care funding |
Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?Labour's Cost of Living PlanACT New ZealandHealthy People
3. What matters when your pay fluctuates?
There are a few important distinctions worth understanding.
A. Universal free appointments versus income-tested assistance
A universal policy means your eligibility doesn't change when you have a bad pay week.
An income-tested policy might help people on consistently low incomes, but someone earning slightly above a threshold could miss out despite having very little money left after rent and bills.
Labour's three free appointments and the Greens' and Te Pāti Māori's free-care ambitions take the universal approach.
B. Cheaper appointments versus more available appointments
These are separate problems.
- Cheaper appointments help when you can get an appointment but cannot afford it.
- More doctors and extended opening hours help when you cannot get an appointment at a suitable time.
- Both are important if you work changing shifts.
ACT and National place considerable emphasis on increasing access and capacity. Labour combines free visits with additional practice funding.
C. Prescription costs matter too
A GP consultation is only part of the expense. You may also have to pay for medication afterwards.
Labour proposes removing the $5 prescription charge. National has retained the charge for most working-age adults, with exemptions for certain groups and the annual 20-item family threshold.
Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?Labour's Cost of Living Plan
4. What does the current system mean for someone in your position?
Some existing arrangements are worth knowing about, regardless of which party you eventually vote for.
- Community Services Card: Can reduce GP consultation costs and provide other assistance. Eligibility is based on income and circumstances, but variable earnings can make it worth checking.
- Free GP visits for children: Children aged 13 and under are eligible for free standard GP visits at participating practices.
- Online GP services: The government has introduced a 24/7 online GP service, which can provide another route to medical advice. Check the provider's fees before booking.
- After-hours care: Urgent and after-hours services may have different charges from your usual GP.
For official information, see Health New Zealand and Work and Income.
5. Questions worth asking before deciding your vote
Given your circumstances, I would pay particular attention to these questions when reading party manifestos or hearing candidates discuss healthcare:
- If I earn less this week because my roster changes, can I still afford to see my GP?
- Can I get an appointment outside normal working hours without paying substantially more?
- Does the policy cover both GP and nurse consultations?
- Will I still have to pay for prescriptions?
- Are free appointments genuinely universal, or do they depend on an income threshold?
- What happens after the promised free appointments have been used?
- How quickly will the policy actually be implemented?
One particularly important distinction is whether a party promises to make healthcare affordable immediately or whether it is describing a longer-term goal.
My overall observation: The 2026 debate has a clear divide between policies that directly reduce the amount patients pay and policies that aim to increase healthcare capacity. Neither problem automatically solves the other.
For someone whose income changes from week to week, it is worth considering both the actual cost of an appointment and whether you can get one around your roster.
You can also compare the parties' full published positions at Policy.nz – 2026 Health Policies.
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Captured 31 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account