New research shows GP appointments are becoming harder to find and too short to be effective for Kiwi families and the Alliance says change is needed.

The Alliance Party is demanding a major shift in how New Zealand funds primary healthcare, following research published in The Conversation which confirms a growing crisis in GP access.

Alliance Party Health Spokesperson Ethan Gullery says the current system is built on a “profound contradiction” that rewards processing volume rather than ensuring community wellness.

Mr Gullery says the 15-minute GP appointment is the single most effective tool we have for preventing expensive hospital admissions, yet it is the work the current funding model rewards the least.

“Underfunding primary care is not a savings measure – it is a catastrophic false economy.”

Mr Gullery says we can choose to pay a small amount now to keep people well, or we can continue to pay a much higher cost in human terms and economic terms later when they arrive at the Emergency Department.

The research also highlights a “hidden subsidy” keeping the health system afloat, particularly within community pharmacies.

“It is an indictment of our system that a pharmacist who prevents a life-threatening drug interaction is not paid for their clinical judgement. That life-saving work is effectively being subsidised by the profit margins on vitamins sold at the front of the shop. You cannot run a public health system like a retail transaction business and expect healthy communities,” Mr Gullery says.

The Alliance is particularly concerned that the current capitation funding formula is failing the most vulnerable New Zealanders.

Clinics in lower-income areas, which manage high rates of diabetes, respiratory disease, and mental health complexity, are being financially penalised for the high-needs populations they serve.

“The clinics doing the heaviest lifting are being pushed to the brink because the funding doesn't account for the reality of patient complexity. This is a direct hit on our poorest communities and our rural towns. You cannot serve our people by simply funnelling more money into big-city hospitals while the local clinics crumble.”

The Alliance Party is calling for a “well-being first” funding model that prioritises the full primary care team – including GPs, nurses, and pharmacists – and measures success by health outcomes rather than “patient throughput.”

“Health is a public good, not a commodity,” says Mr Gullery.

“We need to stop our efforts going to the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff and start funding the fence at the top. It’s time to stop paying later for the neglect of the present.”

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