Party policies, simplified: Healthcare

The General Election day is approaching on Saturday November 7. We reached out to political parties National, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, ACT, New Zealand First, the Green Party, and The Opportunity Party with the same questions across housing, transport, disability policy, funding, healthcare, education, employment and accessibility.

Here’s how parties say they will make the healthcare system more equitable for disabled communities.

In December 2025, The National Party launched a refreshed New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030, where one of the five priority areas is health. A spokesperson says a further action is to train the health workforce to deliver services that are “easier to use for disabled people” and to “increase the number of disabled people working in health.”

Labour have announced a series of health policies funded by a capital gains tax* on commercial property and residential investment property. This includes three free doctor’s visits a year, free prescriptions, free maternity scans, and free cervical screening for everyone aged 25-69 with Medicard.

The Green Party would “draw on” the Enabling Good Lives approach to guide how Government agencies work with disabled people. A spokesperson says they would “remove barriers to accessing essentials like health care and disability support”, and “[fund] mobile health care clinics to ensure everyone has access to healthcare, no matter where they live or their accessibility requirements.”

The Green Party will also work towards* a publicly delivered, fully free provision of dental and primary care services, including by-Māori for-Māori community clinics; increase sustained funding for Pharmac; and ensure all health care workers have fair wages and are staffed at a safe level.

Te Pāti Māori will reestablish Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) and establish a Māori-led Mana Hauā Authority “to ensure that our people, as well as all underserved communities, are able to access the support they deserve.”

Te Pāti Māori will also increase Pharmac funding and “protect” rongoā Māori. Te Pāti’ Māori’s Mana Takatāpui policy includes protection, representation and leadership opportunities for for disabled Takatāpui across housing and residential living, in cultural leadership, in gender-affirming healthcare, and in mental health and suicide prevention. According to Stats NZ, 1 in 3 LGBTIQ+ people are disabled.

Te Pāti Māori will establish* a Māori Health Commissioning Agency and a Māori Accident Compensation Authority, transfer 25% of total health and ACC funding to Māori-led systems, and invest in free primary healthcare, free dental care, free medication delivery and marae-based clinics and mobile units.

ACT will close the medicines funding gap with Australia, expand the conditions pharmacists can treat, and introduce “secure” 24-hour prescription lockers so people managing stable long-term conditions can collect medicines at a time that works for them. During Stuff’s Kingmaker Debate, ACT leader David Seymour said that the party would increase the percentage of the total health budget spent on medicines by 1% every year.

NZ First said they are “[focused] on a single, universal healthcare system where access is strictly based on clinical need rather than race or background,” but did not articulate any policies or actions associated with this. TOP did not respond to our questions. However, the party is campaigning to work across the political spectrum to bring all political parties together to develop a 10-year plan in health and education.*

Responses about past policies, or generic statements without indication of the party's own intention, actions or policies have been excluded.

Summary by party

*indicates policy found outside of questionnaire responses or policy announced after the party’s response was submitted.