RDA Guide to the 2026 Election Policies

Closing the medicines gap

Increase the share of health budget spent on medicines by one percentage point each year (reaching parity with Australia at 12% in 2033), funded from baseline health spending.¹

Let pharmacies do more

Enabling pharmacists to treat everyday conditions, manage long-term conditions, order blood tests, and adjust medication within GP-set limits. Remove barriers to new pharmacies opening and enabling secure 24-hour prescription lockers for medicine pickups. Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (PACT) certification would also become transferable across workplaces.²

Strengthening end of life choice

Replace the six-month prognosis requirement so that terminally ill persons with irreversible decline and experiencing unbearable suffering can access the service. Permits a limited waiver of final consent where an eligible person has chosen a date while competent but loses capacity before that date. Require training for practitioners and stronger Registrar oversight.³

A Starship for cancer

Support a National Cancer Centre with campuses in Auckland and Christchurch, funded by a mix of private investment, public-private partnerships, and existing health funding.⁴

Regulate the regulators

Ban professional regulators (e.g., health regulators) from disciplining members for lawful expression outside their professional practice and require regulators to remain institutionally neutral on political and ideological issues. Restrict mandatory training to matters directly connected to professional competence and public safety.⁵

Rewriting public service standards

Strengthens political neutrality requirement for public service workers. Remove s73 of the Public Service Act (venture to be a good employer, including recognition of the aspirations and employment requirements of Māori, different ethnic and minority groups, women, and people with disabilities). Prohibit public service employers from initiating or resourcing cultural or spiritual practices in the workplace.⁶

Shorten time limit for personal grievances

Reduce time limit for lodging a personal grievance with the Employment Relations Authority (currently 3 years) down to 90 days, except for sexual harassment grievances (still 3 years).⁷

Freeze minimum wage

Freeze the adult minimum wage for 3 years (currently $23.95/hour) and introduce a Training Wage (60% of minimum wage) for workers under 20 during their first 12 months of employment.⁸

Make payroll deductions for union fees voluntary

Union members will have to arrange direct payments for union fees, unless employer agreed to continue payroll deductions.⁹

Consolidating departmental portfolios and support services

Creation of a ‘Ministry of Health and Wellbeing’ which would oversee Health NZ, ACC, and Mental Health and cuts to administrative and support services as a result of consolidation.¹⁰

No tax on Kiwisaver earnings

Remove tax on qualifying investments within KiwiSaver funds and ending the annual government contribution for members receiving employer contributions.³⁵

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Extensive list of 58 health policy actions including…¹¹

Free and accessible care

Provide universal, free and accessible diagnosis, treatment and management for all illnesses and injuries.

Transition to publicly owned health services

Transition privately funded health services to fully funded publicly owned services provided for free – including dental care, general practitioner clinics, ambulance and emergency services, aged care, palliative care, and mental health services.

Support mental wellbeing

Eliminate therapy waiting lists by training and employing more therapists, including psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, and occupational therapists.

Investments in health workforce

Increase entrants into health professions and the retention of those in the workforce.

Support Māori to train and upskill as health professionals.

Invest in fair wages, pay parity, a reasonable workload, and conditions that support the wellbeing of health workers.

Extensive list of 70 actions and sub-actions including…¹²

Ensure pay equity

E.g., Requiring pay transparency and pay-parity management in all sectors.

Ensure leave allowances enable working people to live fulfilling, balanced lives

E.g., Increase paid annual leave to 5 weeks and increase paid parental leave to a total of 15 months, allowing concurrent use in the first three months.

Ensure equitable employment opportunities

E.g., Incentivising employers to hire, retain, or retrain older workers, especially in sectors with skill shortages.

Protecting the right of working people to organise collectively

E.g., Supporting default union membership when starting a new job (union membership opt-out rather than opt-in).

Support workplace health and safety

E.g., Providing support and counselling services to workers whose work has caused them mental distress.

Improving equity in retirement

E.g., Contributing to KiwiSaver (or preferred retirement savings) of those on low incomes (incl. informal carers and students on work placement) regardless of their employee contributions.¹³

“The Green Party are supportive of repealing and reviewing the most harmful legislation enacted this term:

• The Equal Pay Act changes made under urgency,
• The Health and Safety at Work Act changes,
• The Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Act changes,
• The Disability Support Services Act, and
• The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill*”

*Note: Bill has not yet progressed through Parliament

Free GP visits

Three free GP visits (doctor or nurse) a year for every New Zealander, via new Medicard system.¹⁴

Free prescriptions

Removal of $5 prescription fee for those entitled to free public healthcare, from July 2027.¹⁵

Free maternity scans

All referred maternity scans free from July 2028, plus 24 paid trainee Sonographer positions funded to grow the workforce.¹⁶

Free cervical screening

Free screening for those aged 25-69 from October 2027.¹⁷

Family doctor loan scheme

Up to 50 loans per year to help cover the cost of buying into an owner-operated general practice, alongside a plan to free up more than 4.5 million GP appointments per year through phone triaging, technology support, and targeted funding.¹⁸

Better hospitals

Clear hospital repair backlog (finish remediation projects already on the books) and invest in fixing more hospital buildings and essential systems.¹⁹

Strengthening Kiwisaver

Employer contributions compulsory from July 2028 and lifted to 6% by 2032, even when employees reduce or pause their own contributions. Setting default contribution rate to 4%. Ban new total remuneration contracts that absorb KiwiSaver contributions into salaries. Provide KiwiSaver contribution for parents while on parental leave. Extend employer contributions for workers aged 65+ from July 2028. Explore flexible KiwiSaver options for those self-employed.²⁰

Cutting student debt

Eligible student loan balances cut by 10% from April 2027 for those who finished their study. Current or future students will get same 10% cut if they stay in NZ for three years after finishing their study.²¹

Restoring pay equity

Pay equity legislation restored within Labour’s first 100 days, with an immediate $4 an hour pay rise for care and support workers from January 2027.³⁶

“Labour has committed to reversing the changes made by the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill.”

“We oppose the changes in the Government’s Health Practitioner’s Competence Assurance Act* that gives government the power to direct responsible authorities, like the Medical Council.”

*Note: Bill has not yet progressed through Parliament

Labour has since committed to reversing the pay equity changes within the first 100 days of a Labour government.

More medicines and earlier care through…24

Pharmac uplift

Increase medicines budget by $604 million through savings from reduced foreign aid outside the Pacific.

Set national target for clinical trials

Within 10 years, 5% of new Zealanders being treated for cancer will have part of their care delivered through a clinical trial, and simplifying approvals process for trials with a focus on cancer and rare disorders.

Co-invest $25 million with BioOra to expand including CAR-T cell therapy for cancer patients.

Improved prevention through screening

Lower bowel screening age to 50 and extend breast screening age to 74 by 2029. Free cervical screening for those aged 25-69 from March 2027. Launch screening pilots for prostate and lung cancer.

Establish Healthy Kiwis Programme

Doubling number of ‘active prescriptions’ by 2030 wherein a GP or nurse prescribes exercise and healthier eating, and a trained coach provides free, personalised support over several months to make the changes last.

Enhancing KiwiSaver for everyone

Compulsory KiwiSaver (or equivalent scheme) for all workers including those aged 65+ from July 2028 and continue lifting default KiwiSaver contributions to a combined 12% (6% each for employee and employer contributions) by 2032.

Make KiwiSaver enrolment compulsory at birth from July 2027, with a $1,500 government contribution for every child born in New Zealand.²²

Modernising paid parental leave

Staged extension of paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks, allowing parents flexibility to take leave entitlement concurrently or in overlapping instalments. From July 2027, Government to provide KiwiSaver contribution to people on paid parental leave even if person is not contributing themselves.²³

Reduce compulsory student loan repayment rate

Reduce repayment rate for domestic borrowers from 12% to 10% from April 2027. Introduce tougher measures to recover student loan debt from those who move overseas (financial penalties, restricted KiwiSaver withdrawals, arrest warrants).²⁴

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Make NZ Healthy

Several initiatives aimed at shifting healthcare focus from treatment to prevention, including promoting nutrition, restoring professional autonomy in general practice and introducing health coaches into primary care, removing Medsafe/Pharmac barriers, and investing in vitamin C and D interventions.²⁵

Establishing a KiwiSaver Generation

Make KiwiSaver enrolment compulsory at birth, with an automatic $1,000 government contribution for New Zealand citizens only. Compulsory KiwiSaver enrolment for wider workforce and increasing employee and employer contributions to 8% initially and 10% eventually.²⁶

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10-year Health Plan

Cross-party agreement on a 10-year plan that increases health funding from 7.4% (current) to 9% of GDP and increases share of funding for primary care.²⁷

Renewed focus on preventative care

Reduce harm from tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food. Earlier detection and treatment of illness, from more primary care funding.²⁸

Take commercial interests out of health regulation

Tougher restrictions on lobbying, donating, and integrity to protect health regulation from vested interests.²⁹

KiwiSaver 2.0

Fully compulsory for all eligible workers, with staged increase in contributions to 12% total (6% each from employee and employer) after 8 years. KiwiSaver 2.0 is separate from existing KiwiSaver scheme (which remains in place as a supplementary option) and will not allow withdrawals for hardship or first-home deposits. Once fully phased in, the 12% contribution will be exempt from income tax.³⁰

Forgive loan interest to bring Kiwi talent home

Roll back student loan interest on up to 3 years spent overseas, at the end of the loan repayment and conditional on being a resident in NZ when the loan is repaid.³¹

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System shift to prevention

Shift the system toward prevention and whānau wellbeing, not just crisis response.³²

Strengthen Māori-led solutions and cultural accountability

Rebuild and strengthen Māori-led health authority and solutions. Make services accessible, culturally safe, and accountable to Māori.³³

Gender affirming care

Guarantee gender-affirming, Kaupapa Māori healthcare within the public system, including mental health and suicide prevention services.³⁴

Silent on industrial and workforce matters.

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