The Daily Examiner.
The government has committed to greater accessibility to urgent and after-hours healthcare in the regions, with several new 24-hour services planned around the country.
New funding of $164 million has been allocated over the next four years, with 24-hour urgent care clinics “identified” for Counties Manukau, Whangārei, Palmerston North, Tauranga, and Dunedin.
The funding boost also covers “new and extended” daytime services for other centres, including Lower Hutt, Invercargill, and Timaru.
In a pre-Budget announcement on Sunday, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the funding boost would mean 98 percent of New Zealanders would have access to in-person urgent care within an hour’s drive.
“Strengthening urgent and after-hours care is an important part of our government’s plan to ensure all New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare,” Brown said.
“Budget 2025 is investing $164 million over four years to expand urgent and after-hours healthcare services across the country. This means 98 percent of New Zealanders will be able to receive in-person urgent care within one hour’s drive of their homes.”
Funding will also cover maintaining all existing urgent and after-hours healthcare services across the country and improved after-hour services in remote and rural areas with round-the-clock on-call support.
“Around 5000 New Zealanders visit urgent care clinics every day, but the availability of after-hours services has declined in recent years, and access remains variable across the country,” Brown said.
“Making it easier to see a doctor or nurse is a key priority for this government. We’re taking action to ensure Kiwis can access the care they need, when and where they need it.”
The investment would also support more timely care, easing pressure on emergency departments, and improving outcomes for patients, Brown said.
“Urgent care supports patients with non-life-threatening injuries or medical problems not severe enough to require emergency department care, but who can’t wait until the following day for medical attention,” he said.
“Expanding community-based urgent care will help ease pressure on hospitals and keep emergency departments wait times down for those with the most serious conditions.”
The announcement was made in Auckland’s Pakuranga by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
However, the announcement has drawn mixed reactions from political parties and medical authorities. The Medical Council has expressed concerns about political interference in healthcare workforce regulations, warning that retention—not bureaucracy—is the key issue affecting doctor shortages. The Council emphasized that while streamlining regulations is important, clinical independence must be maintained to ensure patient safety.
Meanwhile,, healthcare advocates have called for a more holistic approach to improving health outcomes, emphasizing that equitable healthcare cannot be achieved solely through service expansion but must also address broader social determinants such as housing, education, and employment.
The government’s funding commitment marks a significant step toward improving urgent care access, but the broader conversation on healthcare equity and workforce sustainability remains ongoing.
