Vote to save your GP

No major political party has promised adequate working conditions for general practitioners.

But some are still better than others.
Gold heart with a tick mark inside it.

What have parties pledged to reverse the GP crisis?

Information below comes from political parties’ own policy announcements and websites, with interpretation and comment from General Practitioners Aotearoa.

National

  • $15.35 billion extra to health over 4 years
  • Easier access for overseas-trained GPs to NZ
  • More doctor training places

Comments:

National hopes to attract more doctors to work as GPs in New Zealand, but without policy to get pay equity for GPs, foreign doctors will not choose to work here, and local GPs will move overseas or change specialty.

Labour

  • $15.5 billion extra to health over 4 years
  • 3 free GP visits per year
  • Family doctor loan scheme to open and buy into clinics
  • Commitment to free up 4.5 million GP appointments per year through phone triaging, improved technology, and funding to expand busy clinics.

Comments:

With a nationwide GP shortage, it’s going to be difficult for people to use their 3 free GP visits. It’s great to encourage GPs to own clinics, but unless GP salaries increase, there won’t be anyone to staff them. These policies are unlikely to free up the promised full 4.5 million appointments. Improving tech and systems will not fix the fundamental problem: the only real solution is to get more GPs.

Green

  • $30 billion extra to health over 4 years
  • Pledge to “invest in fair wages, pay parity, a reasonable workload, and conditions that support the wellbeing of health workers”

Comments:

While the Greens have stated the importance of primary care, there is no concrete policy ensuring funds and support will go to GPs. Without explicit ringfencing, health funds tend to go to the hospital system.

Act

  • $100 million per year funding uplift to general practice for 4 years
  • Pledge to reduce wait times for appointments

Comments:

The generic GP funding uplift is not tied to any policy or guarantees that it will be used for the stated purposes of increasing salaries. Act also has policies that would undermine general practice and patient safety, for example by transferring specialist diagnostic work to pharmacists.

New Zealand First

  • Pledge to support primary care and illness prevention

Comments:

The NZ First 2026 health plan contains fringe beliefs and is not a realistic solution. This is disappointing from a party with a history of caring about and funding primary healthcare.

Te Pāti Māori

  • Pledge to shift the health system towards prevention and whānau wellbeing

Comments:

We share the party’s belief that cultural safety is essential, and would like to see a greater focus on prevention and wellbeing. However, without specific policies to resolve the GP crisis, Māori communities will be among those who suffer the most as community healthcare fails.

Opportunity

  • Increase healthcare funding to 9% of GDP, and increase the share of health funding going to GP clinics
  • Focus on preventative healthcare

Comments:

Opportunity says a lot of the right things about primary and preventative healthcare, but does not have specific policy to increase GP recruitment and retention. The party’s main focus is on a cross-party 10-year health plan, which we support in theory as long as it recognises and resolves the GP crisis.