The General Practice Owners Association (GenPro) says Budget 2026 is a major missed opportunity to strengthen the front line of New Zealand’s healthcare system, with general practice ignored despite growing pressure on clinics, doctors and patients.
GenPro Chair Dr Angus Chambers said the Budget contained significant new health spending, but virtually none of it was directed toward supporting the country’s struggling network of general practices.
“Primary healthcare barely gets a mention in this Budget, and general practice is absent altogether,” Dr Chambers said.
“The Government talks about improving access to healthcare and reducing wait times, but none of that is possible without properly supporting the family doctors and practice teams who are the foundation of the health system.”
Health spending will rise by more than $3 billion under Budget 2026, including funding for cost increases, hospitals, ambulance services, Pharmac, cancer care and digital health initiatives.
However, there is no meaningful investment in the sustainability of general practice, despite rising demand, workforce shortages and increasing financial pressure on clinics across the country.
“This neglect will cost our country a lot more in the long run. Every day general practice is managing more complex patients, more chronic illness and more demand, while dealing with severe workforce shortages and rapidly increasing costs,” Dr Chambers says.
“General practice is the most cost-effective part of the health system. When patients can’t get timely access to a GP, they end up in emergency departments and hospitals, which puts even greater pressure on the wider system.”
The Government’s focus on increasing hospital treatments and emergency department capacity failed to recognise that many health issues could be prevented or managed earlier through better investment in community-based care.
“You cannot build a sustainable health system while neglecting the front door of healthcare,” he said.
“The Budget includes targets for 53,000 additional general practice enrolments, yet there is no direct investment to help practices absorb those patients or expand capacity. It simply does not add up.”
Dr Chambers said GenPro supported investment in areas such as child health, cancer care and ambulance services, but said long-term health improvements would remain out of reach unless primary care was properly funded.
“General practice is where prevention happens, where long-term conditions are managed, and where most New Zealanders first access healthcare,” he said.
“If the Government is serious about improving health outcomes and reducing pressure on hospitals, it must stop treating general practice as an afterthought.”