Unlocking better access to healthcare for every New Zealander

“ACT will unlock primary care and supercharge medicines investment, helping New Zealanders at both ends of the health spectrum,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Healthcare is a priority for ACT. Our plan is to make care easier to access and more responsive to patients. We’ll ease pressure on GPs by allowing pharmacists to treat more minor ailments, improve access to modern medicines and help people manage stable, long-term conditions under GP oversight.

“Too many New Zealanders can’t get a GP appointment when they need one. ACT’s health policy package will invest an additional $400 million in general practice over four years. This will help practices retain doctors, recruit staff and offer more appointments. We’ll also make it faster for qualified overseas doctors to register and practice here by streamlining registration and removing unnecessary red tape.

“For many people, their local pharmacist is the closest healthcare professional - and often the quickest to see. ACT will expand the services pharmacists can provide and remove barriers to opening new pharmacies. That will make it easier to get care for minor ailments without a long wait, especially for people in rural communities.

“Pharmacists have the capacity, the need and the proximity. All that’s missing is permission,” says Mr Seymour.

“All Kiwis should have better access to modern medicines. Australia funds 142 modern medicines that New Zealand does not. 38 per cent are cancer medicines. Behind those figures are families using up their savings, fundraising or moving overseas to get treatment.

“New Zealand spends 4.9 per cent of its health budget on medicines compared with 12.2 per cent in Australia. ACT will narrow that gap by increasing the share of health budget spent on medicines by one percentage point each year, until we reach parity in with Australia in 2033,” says Mr Seymour.

“Cancer is New Zealanders biggest killer. More than 30,000 New Zealanders are diagnosed each year, and around 1,000 more die from cancer each year than would if our cancer mortality rate matched Australia’s. New Zealanders should not have to accept second-rate cancer care. ACT will establish a world-class National Cancer Centre, with campuses in Auckland and Christchurch, to provide specialist cancer care,” says ACT Health spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“New Zealanders have had the option of assisted dying under ACT’s End of Life Choice Act since 2021. The Ministry of Health’s first statutory review recommended 25 changes to the law, and ACT’s End of Life Choice Amendment Bill adopts all 25. ACT will also improve access to assisted dying while retaining safeguards.

“ACT's fiscal plan reduces wasteful spending by ensuring we balance the books and pay down debt, ensuring spending discipline, and making room to improve the healthcare services Kiwis rely on,” says Mr Stephenson.

“Unlocking New Zealand’s potential starts with healthcare that works for everyone. Every New Zealander deserves world-class care, when they need it - and better value for every tax dollar. New Zealand should be known once again for healthcare that stands among the best in the world.”