In a development that will shock absolutely no one who has recently tried to see a doctor in New Zealand, healthcare has emerged as the second-biggest election issue, with 44% of the country citing it as their top concern - just behind the cost of living, according to Ipsos. The bar for political priorities, it seems, is now set somewhere between "can I afford bread" and "will I survive the wait to see a GP."
Take Jane Harrison, 60, and her husband Shaun Fitzgerald, 65. Once a community stalwart securing playground funding and earthquake readiness in their South Island town, Harrison now finds herself on disability assistance, caring for Fitzgerald after back surgery for spinal stenosis in August 2025 failed to deliver the hoped-for relief. He has since returned to the emergency department in intense pain, only to be told by paramedics: "There's no beds in hospital, if we take you you'll have to sit and you clearly can't, you're better off at home." Nothing says "world-class healthcare" like being advised to suffer in your own living room.
Fitzgerald, a former roofer, now hobbles on a daily cocktail of painkillers while awaiting another surgery to fuse his vertebrae. Harrison, meanwhile, battles long Covid with limited support, facing "countless trips to the doctor" that are "so expensive, and you have to do it over and over again." The couple, who worked all their lives and paid tax, never imagined being bed-bound and "desperately trying to eke out money from the government." It's almost as if decades of tax contributions should buy you something more than a spot on a waiting list.
The system's strain has been thrust into the spotlight by high-profile incidents, including a man who died after collapsing in hospital toilets following a nine-hour wait at a busy emergency department. Dr Katie Ben, an anaesthetist and president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, describes a gradual decline: "There's not enough beds, not enough nurses, not enough doctors at every level of the roster, not enough space." In Nelson, where she works, there are 17 fewer nurses than three years ago, and surgical wards operate from an earthquake-prone building earmarked for replacement at least a decade ago. "You just reach a tipping point," she says - a tipping point that apparently arrived some time ago and has yet to leave.
Nurses and doctors report that safe care is being compromised, with many defecting to Australia for pay up to 30% higher. Combined with the rollback of Māori-access initiatives, millions funneled to private hospitals, and an aging population, Ben warns of an emerging two-tier system where only those who can afford it get seen. One in four adults say they can't access their GP, and record numbers are presenting to emergency departments - because nothing says "primary care" like a crisis-driven ER visit.
The government's numbers are, shall we say, optimistic. Health minister Simeon Brown promised 2,000 additional full-time nurses but has delivered just 54 since coming to power. Brown insists the system is "measurably improving," citing three-quarters of ED patients seen within the six-hour target, improved childhood immunisation rates and elective surgery waiting times, and 40,000 extra elective surgeries from private hospital spending. He concedes the system "remains under pressure, and too many New Zealanders are still waiting too long for care" - a concession roughly as reassuring as being told the Titanic is "measurably improving" as it lists.
Compared with other OECD countries, New Zealand hovers near the middle: health expenditure per capita and practising nurses are above average, but hospital beds and doctors are below average. So, middling - but with a side of nine-hour waits and toilet tragedies.
As the November election looms, the latest 1News Verian poll has National and Labour tied at 28%, with the Greens at 15%, ACT and NZ First at 10% each, and the centrist Opportunity party at 8% - potentially holding the balance of power under MMP. National promises a $604m medicines budget boost by cutting foreign aid outside the Pacific. Labour would reinstate a smoke-free policy and free prescriptions, introduce three free GP visits funded by a targeted capital gains tax, and guarantee jobs for graduate nurses. Labour health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall says priorities are prevention and primary care: "The cost-of-living crisis has made these investments all the more important because people are missing out."
For those still waiting months to see a doctor, it's all just talk. Abbey Bambry, a mother of three in Pahiatua, says residents often travel 45 minutes to the nearest city for an after-hours doctor, paying up to $245 for an adult visit. She's written to her local MP, seen friends with serious health issues suffer, and says pledges to address it properly would sway her vote. "It concerns me that many people's only option is to travel for health, and if they do they pay massive fees to get the healthcare they need. It's just like what the hell are we doing, you know?" A question that, much like the healthcare system, remains unanswered.