Your pharmacist should be your first stop

ACT Party Leader David Seymour today released Pharmacy First – ACT's plan to get New Zealanders care without the wait by expanding what pharmacists can do and removing barriers to new pharmacies.

ACT will let pharmacists treat more conditions, manage stable long-term conditions, catch cardiovascular and skin cancer risk early, cut red tape stopping new pharmacies from opening, and introduce 24-hour prescription collection through secure electronic lockers.

"In many cases, your pharmacist is the healthcare professional closest to you," Mr Seymour said. "They're trained, they're trusted, they're often available the same day.

“The rules confine pharmacists to a small number of permitted services. Meanwhile, time that pharmacists used to spend ‘counting and pouring’ is being freed up by automation, at the same time that community pharmacies are under serious revenue pressure.

“Pharmacists have the capacity, the need, and the proximity. All that's missing is permission.

"One in four adults and one in five children cannot see a GP when they need to – a figure that has more than doubled in four years. A highly qualified healthcare professional is standing right there at your local shops, ready to help. The rules just need to get out of the way.

"This policy builds on changes ACT has already delivered in Government. Pharmacists are now treating UTIs, conjunctivitis, chest infections, and ear infections. We've introduced 12-month prescriptions for stable patients, and given pharmacists prescribing rights for the first time. New Zealanders have welcomed our moves to empower pharmacists and patients, so today's announcement is the next step."

More conditions covered at your pharmacy

ACT will expand the Minor Ailments Scheme to include conditions pharmacists are trained to assess and treat:

• Throat and ENT: acute sore throat

• Skin and eyes: school sores (impetigo), stye

• Ear, nose and throat: tonsillitis and acute sore throat

• Musculoskeletal and pain: gout, osteoarthritis

• Sexual and reproductive health: vaginal thrush; chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing (self-swab kits), period pain

• Blood tests: pharmacists will be able to order appropriate blood tests directly, at a patient's request or where they identify a clinical need

A full list of ailments ACT is proposing pharmacists to treat can be found here.

"Every condition will include a clear protocol for when patients need to be referred to a GP or specialist," says Mr Seymour. "Doctors still have an important role here, but ACT will make sure that for cases a pharmacist can handle, you don't have to wait two weeks to get help."

"Consultation fees will stay capped at $20 for most patients and $5 for Community Services Card holders. The Government funds the balance."

Routine monitoring of long-term conditions

“For the roughly one million New Zealanders managing stable hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, an annual GP appointment to renew the same medication is often a formality – but getting that appointment is not.

“Pharmacists already see these patients regularly, know their medicines, and are well placed to carry out routine monitoring. ACT will let accredited pharmacists provide funded annual medication reviews for stable patients, order the standard blood tests needed to monitor treatment, and adjust doses within clear, GP-set clinical limits. Anything outside those limits, or any new diagnosis, goes straight back to the patient's GP.”

Catching skin cancer sooner

“New Zealand has one of the world's highest melanoma rates, but most people must either wait for a GP or pay out of pocket to have a suspicious lesion checked. Pharmacies are often the first place people raise these concerns – there just isn't a consistent pathway for what happens next.

“ACT will allow pharmacy-based skin concern service. Trained pharmacists would record relevant risk factors and take high-quality dermatoscope images, using technology to help identify concerning changes over time. Patients who meet clear risk thresholds would be referred to a GP or specialist.

"This is not a full diagnosis service, but it would give people – especially in rural communities – a place to have a concern taken seriously and acted on quickly."

More pharmacies where you need them

"Rules that prevent new pharmacies from opening will go," says Mr Seymour.

"The five-pharmacy ownership cap – a restriction the Government's own October 2025 Regulatory Impact Statement admits is 'not being meaningfully followed' – will be explicitly removed. Proximity requirements that block new pharmacies from opening near existing ones will also go. Any pharmacy that meets safety and quality standards should be able to open.

"Pharmacy licence renewals will move from annual to five-yearly after the first year, saving pharmacists $1,000 in compliance costs each year and freeing them to focus on patients, not paperwork. Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technicians will be allowed to transfer between pharmacies without having to sit a new course, making it easier for pharmacies, especially in smaller communities, to attract and retain staff.

"The current rules don't protect people, but they do make it harder to open pharmacies and harder to staff them. ACT's plan to empower pharmacists will create demand for more pharmacies in more communities. So, we're removing the barriers to get them there."

24-hour e-lockers

"For New Zealanders managing stable long-term conditions, ACT will enable secure prescription e-lockers – allowing patients to collect pre-dispensed medicines at any time using a digital code, similar to click-and-collect at a supermarket," says Mr Seymour.

"Lockers will not be used to dispense controlled drugs, refrigerated medicines, or medications requiring monitoring.

"This is a practical fix for rural communities where pharmacy hours are limited and collecting a prescription means a long drive at inconvenient times.

"The pharmacy network in New Zealand has enormous, untapped capacity," Mr Seymour said. "ACT is going to unlock it, so that when you're unwell, your pharmacist is the first stop. We will make life easier for Kiwis seeking basic care, and free up GPs to see patients in greater need, more quickly."