Getting health care and finding a doctor
New Zealand has a comprehensive health system that is subsidised by the government. Find out what services are available to you, and how to access them.
Public health care in New Zealand
Public health care and disability services are provided free, or at a reduced cost, to citizens and most people with resident visas who live in New Zealand.
If you are not eligible, you can still use the public health care system, but you will normally have to pay.
You also have the option of paying for private health care services.
Find out more about public health care and who is eligible on our website or the Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora website.
Who can get public health care
Eligibility for publicly funded health services — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Note
If you are not eligible for publicly funded health care, we strongly advise you to have comprehensive travel insurance, including full medical cover, when you travel to New Zealand.
Private health care and insurance
More information
Find out more about the New Zealand public system on the Your Local Doctor website. Information includes factsheets in many languages and a video presented in English, Hindi and Mandarin.
The Healthify website also has helpful information and resources.
NZ Health and Disability System videos — Your Local Doctor
The New Zealand health system — Your Local Doctor
Help in your language
Language Assistance Services (LAS) is a free government service available in over 300 languages.
You can use this service to talk to any participating government agency. This includes phone and video interpreting, and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Find out how to request an interpreter if you or someone you know needs language support when calling or meeting with a New Zealand government agency.
Accessing interpreting services — Ministry for Ethnic Communities
To find out more about government interpreting services, and the participating agencies, visit the Ministry for Ethnic Affairs website.
About government interpreting services — Ministry for Ethnic Communities
Finding a doctor
A general practitioner (GP) is a family doctor who can give you medical advice and refer you to a specialist, for further tests or treatment, if needed.
Finding a GP is one of the first things you should do once you have decided where you are going to live in New Zealand.
New Zealand has GPs in communities throughout the country. Most work in groups called practices, operating from a medical centre.
Enrolling with a practice makes it cheaper for you to see a GP, and it is free to enrol. If you do not enrol, you will pay a lot more to see a GP.
Remember to check the fees the practice charges before you enrol. You can also request a male or female GP when you enrol. You can take someone with you for support when you visit the GP.
Note
Depending on what your health care need is, your GP’s office may suggest you make an appointment with their practice nurse.
How to find and enrol with a GP
To find a GP, search for your local GP on the Healthpoint website. Find out if the doctor is accepting enrolments.
Not all GPs in a practice will be taking new patients, so you may need to call a few. Practices usually give priority to people who live or work in the area.
To find out more about enrolling with a practice and finding a GP, visit the Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora website. It has advice on how to choose a GP and information on fees.
General practices — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
National Health Index (NHI) numbers
NHI numbers are how our health system keeps track of personal medical information, and makes sure it is secure, complete and confidential. If you need care anywhere in New Zealand, your NHI number will allow health professionals to check your medical history.
My Health Record — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Your medical records
Bring a copy of your medical records from your home country so you can give them to your New Zealand GP.
After-hours help
Most GPs are open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00. If you need to see a doctor any other time, you can use the after-hours service. If you phone your GP after-hours, their phone message should tell you where to go.
You may need to go to a different practice, or an 'after-hours clinic'. Remember, if you are not enrolled with the clinic, you will pay more.
Cities and most larger towns also have after-hours pharmacies.
If you have questions or you do not know what to do or who to see, you can either:
- call Healthline on 0800 611 116
- check the Healthpoint website.
GPs and accident & emergency medical care — Healthpoint
Healthline — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Healthline
If you do not have a GP, or you are not sure if you should see one, you can phone Healthline. This is a free advice service that lets you talk to a registered nurse, to:
- find out if you should see a GP
- get general health advice
- find the nearest GP or chemist.
You can call Healthline any day, any time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Healthline: 0800 611 116
Healthline — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
If you need language support, ask for an interpreter.
In an emergency
Calling an ambulance
If you need an ambulance for a medical emergency, call 111.
Calls to 111 are free. You can call this number on a mobile phone even if the phone is out of credit.
If you need an ambulance, there may be a charge. See the St Johns Ambulance website for more information.
Ambulance charges — St Johns Ambulance
What is a medical emergency — New Zealand Police
When to go to the hospital emergency department
If you do not need immediate medical attention, you can go to the 24-hour emergency department at your local hospital (sometimes called Accident and Emergency or A&E).
Emergency departments — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Free treatment for accidents
If you are injured because of an accident, you can get free treatment in New Zealand. This covers any accident, not just road crashes — even if the person who is injured caused the accident.
Help with injury costs
Most costs of injuries from accidents are covered by our Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) scheme. This covers everyone in New Zealand, including non-residents and visitors.
If you are injured in an accident, your GP or health provider will help you make a claim for ACC cover.
If you're a visitor injured in New Zealand — ACC
Who can get public health care
Getting medication
If you need medication, you can get it from a pharmacy, also known in New Zealand as a chemist. Every city and major town has at least one.
Chemists can sell you 'over the counter' drugs, like painkillers and some medicines for colds and flu. For other medicines, you must first get a prescription from a GP.
Hospital care
New Zealand has more than 40 public hospitals, in cities and larger towns. They provide care for emergencies, serious health problems, accidents and illnesses. Their services include emergency departments and medical, surgical and maternity services. You can search for public hospitals on the Ministry of Health website.
Most hospital treatment is free if you qualify for publicly funded health care. There are some exceptions, like some kinds of cosmetic surgery.
Nobody can be refused emergency care if they are unable to pay. However, if you are not a New Zealand resident, you may have to pay for some services.
Waiting times for surgery vary from hospital to hospital. If your case is urgent, you will be put on an urgent waiting list.
As well as the public hospitals, there are many private hospitals around New Zealand that you can access if you have health care insurance.
Find a public hospital in your area — Ministry of Health
Specialist medical care
Specialists work in both the public and private health care systems. You can only choose a particular specialist if you go through New Zealand’s private health care system.
You will need to get a referral from your GP before you can see a medical specialist.
You can search online for private hospitals and specialists by region and specialty.
Maternity services
Services for pregnant women (maternity services) are arranged and coordinated by a lead maternity carer (LMC) — usually a midwife.
The Ministry of Health and HealthEd have information about:
- whether you will be eligible for free maternity care
- how LMCs work with you
- where to find maternity services
- what screening programmes are available.
Pregnancy and maternity — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Pregnancy services — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Child health services
From birth to the age of 5, all children in New Zealand qualify for a free health service called Well Child Tamariki Ora. This provides children with a range of health checks and gives help and advice to new parents. Your lead maternity carer (usually your midwife) will get you started on this programme if you are a new parent, or you can visit the website.
One of the providers of the Well Child service is the Plunket Society. Plunket provides a range of free support services for children under 5, and their parents. Its services include home and clinic visits, and mobile clinics.
Parents can also visit the Plunket website or call PlunketLine for free advice.
PlunketLine: 0800 933 922
Help for parents
All children aged 13 and younger can get some free medical care. This includes:
- immunisations against serious disease
- regular eyesight and hearing checks at school
- visits to the doctor. Not all GPs may provide free visits, so check with your GP first.
If your child is aged 15 or younger and has eyesight problems, you may be able to get a subsidy for eye examinations and glasses.
Well Child Tamariki Ora service — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Caring for your child — Plunket
Zero fees for under 14s — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Children's spectacle subsidy — Disability Support Services
Care for the elderly
New Zealand offers a wide range of services to help the elderly in New Zealand. Services include home care, financial support, social support, rest homes and retirement villages.
For full details, visit the Seniorline website or give them a call.
Seniorline: 0800 725 463
Support for older people — Seniorline
Mental health services
Mental health services are provided in each region. Generally, you need to visit your GP to get a referral, but there are also emergency services.
You can also call phone services for help with mental health issues.
The main number to call is 1737.
Details of other helplines are on the Mental Health Foundation website.
The Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora website has more information on what to do in a mental health emergency, and the support services that are available.
Mental wellbeing — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Mental health helplines — Mental Health Foundation
Dental care
Dentists are not part of the publicly funded health care system.
Children get free basic care for their teeth until they are 18 under the Talk Teeth programme. Basic dental care through school dental clinics is free while children are at school.
Adults aged 19 and over will need to pay for dental care. You can find dentists and dental hygienists (oral health care practitioners) in private practices. Fees vary, so remember to ask about them when you are looking.
Find a dentist in your area — Dental Council
Wellness programmes
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora provides a range of information and services to help prevent illness. They include immunisation programmes, health screenings, help with addictions and advice about keeping active.
Supporting health and wellbeing — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Keeping well — Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Help to stop smoking
Quitline is a service funded by the Ministry of Health to help people stop smoking. It offers a support phone line and online and text support. If you are eligible for free health care services, you can also access free nicotine replacement products through your GP.
Quitline: 0800 778 778
Complementary and alternative health services
New Zealand has a range of alternative health practitioners. The term 'complementary and alternative medicine' is used for medical products or services that are not part of standard medical care, for example, acupuncture.
These services are not subsidised by the government. However, the costs of acupuncture and osteopathy for injuries caused by an accident are covered by ACC. For more information about ACC, see our 'Who can get public health care' page.