Start Here: Enrol With a Practice
Enrolling with a general practice is the single highest-value health task you can complete in your first month. Enrolled patients pay the subsidised fee, get cheaper prescriptions, and can book routine appointments instead of presenting as a casual patient.
- Find a practice through Healthpoint, or ask colleagues and neighbours who they use.
- Ask if they are accepting enrolments. Practices do close their books when full, and this is common in Auckland and Wellington.
- Join the waiting list if the nearest practice is full, and try practices a short drive away.
- Enrol the whole household — families can usually register together.
- Keep the confirmation. You will need it when you first book an appointment.
What a Visit Actually Costs in 2026
| Service | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| GP visit, enrolled adult | $45–$75 (each practice sets its own fee within funding rules) |
| GP visit, Very Low Cost Access practice | Often around $20 or less |
| GP visit, not enrolled / casual | $70–$90 or more |
| Children under 14 | Free at most practices |
| Nurse or phone consultation | Usually cheaper than a full GP appointment |
| Prescription, subsidised medicine | $5 per item |
GP fees are not set nationally — each practice sets its own within funding rules — so two practices in the same suburb can differ substantially. It is worth comparing before you enrol, because you are choosing your long-term primary care provider, not just today's price.
Prescription Charges and the Family Cap
- $5 per subsidised medicine item is the standard co-payment.
- Free for children under 14, people aged 65 and over, and Community Services Card holders, for fully funded medicines.
- After 20 new prescription items in a year, further new prescriptions are free until the next 1 February.
- From 1 February 2026, eligible long-term medicines can be dispensed on a 12-month prescription for a single $5 co-payment instead of repeat fees through the year.
If anyone in the household manages a chronic condition, that last change is significant — it can turn a stream of monthly charges into one payment a year.
ACC: The Accident Cover Nobody Explains
ACC is New Zealand's no-fault accident insurance scheme, and it covers people in New Zealand for accidental injury — including visitors on short stays, regardless of immigration status. This is why a GP seeing you for a fall will ask how it happened: the answer determines whether ACC funds the treatment.
- Accident injuries — falls, sports injuries, road crashes, workplace injuries — are funded through ACC, covering treatment, rehabilitation and often weekly compensation.
- Illness is not covered by ACC and goes through the ordinary health system.
- You do not need to apply to be covered; the treating clinician lodges the claim.
Newcomers consistently find this the most surprising part of the New Zealand system in a positive way — but it is worth understanding the boundary, because arriving at a GP with an illness and expecting ACC to cover it leads to an unexpected bill.
Eligibility for Publicly Funded Healthcare
- New Zealand citizens and residents: eligible for publicly funded health and disability services.
- Work visa holders eligible to be in New Zealand for 2 years or more: eligible. The two years is counted as a consecutive period from your first day in the country.
- Shorter work visas, most student visa holders and visitors: generally not eligible, and expected to hold insurance covering the cost of treatment.
- Permanent residents of Australia living in New Zealand: eligible under reciprocal arrangements.
Public hospital and emergency treatment is free for eligible people. If you are not eligible, insurance is not optional in practice: an emergency procedure as a non-eligible patient can run into tens of thousands of dollars, and hospitals will invoice you.
Dental, Mental Health and Emergencies
- Dental care is largely private and not funded for adults. A check-up typically costs $90–$150 and a filling $180–$350. Some funding exists for children and certain groups, and it is worth asking.
- Mental health services are available through your GP as the entry point, plus free helplines and, for accident-related mental injury, ACC funding.
- Emergencies: dial 111 for ambulance, fire or police. Ambulance attendance may carry a part-charge in some regions, which is another reason to hold insurance if you are not eligible for public funding.
Enrol with a GP before you need one. Every pathway through the health system — referrals, prescriptions, mental health support, specialist appointments — starts with a practice that knows you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to see a GP in New Zealand?
For an enrolled adult, a standard GP consultation typically costs $45 to $75, although each practice sets its own fee. Very Low Cost Access practices charge around $20 or less, children under 14 are usually free, and casual or unenrolled visits generally cost $70 to $90 or more.
Who is eligible for publicly funded healthcare in New Zealand?
New Zealand citizens and residents are eligible, as are work visa holders who are eligible to be in New Zealand for two years or more, with the two years counted consecutively from your first day in the country. Shorter work visas, most students and visitors are generally not eligible.
Does ACC cover me if I am not a resident?
ACC covers people in New Zealand for accidental injury, including visitors on short stays, regardless of immigration status. It covers accidents rather than illness, and the treating clinician lodges the claim on your behalf.
How much are prescriptions in New Zealand?
Subsidised medicines carry a $5 co-payment per item. Prescriptions are free for children under 14, people 65 and over and Community Services Card holders. After 20 new items in a year further new prescriptions are free, and from 1 February 2026 eligible long-term medicines can be dispensed on a 12-month prescription for a single $5 co-payment.