Accessible healthcare for everyone

The Green Party will ensure everyone has healthy food and warm dry homes and can access the healthcare they need.

Our health and wellbeing rely on having enough to live on, a healthy home, good food, and access to treatment when we need it.

But right now, thousands of people face barriers to good health and getting the treatment they need.

Successive governments have left primary healthcare to private providers, and many people now cannot afford to access dental or mental health care. Thousands of people are living in damp and mouldy homes that are making them sick, and cannot afford to put healthy kai on the table.

Good health is vital to an enjoyable and meaningful life. Our plan will create a healthier Aotearoa and address inequities in our health system by prioritising kaupapa Māori approaches.

Our Income Guarantee will ensure everyone can afford life’s essentials, and our Rental Warrant of Fitness will help people stay healthy at home. When people need access to healthcare, we will make sure it is affordable and available where they need it.

The Green Party will also take action to ensure people working in healthcare are properly valued and supported to stay in the job, including Māori who provide essential care for whānau, hapū and iwi.

The time is now to invest in our collective health and wellbeing so everyone can lead a healthy life.

Our plan

  • Ensure public healthcare services are timely, accessible, and meet the needs of everyone in Aotearoa – including progressively expanding the health services offered through the public system.
  • Empower and resource the Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) to work in an equal partnership together with the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) to improve outcomes for whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori.
  • Ensure our health system provides appropriate and respectful care for everyone, recognising and honouring diverse life circumstances, and meeting the needs of marginalised groups who currently face barriers to care.
  • Increase funding for PHARMAC so that it can invest in new medicines and health care devices to enhance treatment outcomes and quality of life.
  • Ensure all healthcare workers have fair wages, and workload and conditions that support their wellbeing and the quality of care of their patients.
  • Create Healthy Air standards for ventilation of buildings to reduce the spread of airborne illnesses, and provide targeted funding support for retrofits to meet these standards.

You can find our full manifesto here.