24/7 digital health consultations
The Policy: National Digital Health Plan — 2023 Election →
TL;DR
- The government promised round-the-clock access to a doctor for anyone who can't get a timely appointment with their own GP.
- It launched a national Online GP Care service on 1 July 2025, letting people book a same-day video appointment with a New Zealand-registered doctor or nurse at any hour, day or night.
- These clinicians can check symptoms, diagnose, prescribe medicines, order tests, and make referrals remotely, then send notes back to your usual GP.
- It's run through eight private providers, and you pay their fee rather than a set government price. Adult appointments typically cost around $70–$85 in standard hours, with more overnight. Community Services Card holders and under-14s get free or reduced rates.
- On the literal promise it's delivered: the service runs 24/7 and had been used by nearly 4,500 people in its first two months.
- Whether it fixes the underlying problem is disputed. It sits on top of a system short of roughly 500 GPs, with more than a third of practices closed to new patients in 2024.
More detail
GP leaders say a video call with a doctor you've never met can't replace an ongoing relationship with your own GP. One described it as useful for urgent care but "not a model to deliver general practice continuity of care." Another warned that telehealth firms are being paid more per appointment than regular GP clinics, which could distort the market. A health academic cautioned that remote-only care can lead to over-prescribing and push complicated cases into emergency departments.
There are a few things to watch. History suggests people may not use it as much as hoped — even at the pandemic peak, video appointments never rose above 20% of GP visits and had fallen to about 8% by 2024. It might ease pressure on emergency departments for minor problems, or it might split people's records and weaken the enrolled-GP model the same Budget is trying to strengthen. And the benefit tends to favour people who are online, so those without devices, data, or a Community Services Card may gain the least.
Full Detail if you want to know more
Pitched as round-the-clock access to a doctor for any New Zealander who cannot get a timely appointment with their own GP.
The Policy: National Digital Health Plan — 2023 Election →
What it does:
- Launched a free-to-browse national Online GP Care service on 1 July 2025 (after a May 2025 pilot), letting people book a same-day virtual consult with an NZ-registered doctor or nurse practitioner at any hour of the day.
- Clinicians can assess symptoms, diagnose, prescribe medicines, order lab tests and make referrals remotely, then send notes back to the patient's enrolled GP for continuity.
- Delivered through eight contracted private providers: Bettr Online, CareHQ, Emergency Consult, The Doctors Online, MedOnline, Pocket Lab, Tend and Practice Plus.
- Patients pay the provider's fee, not a flat government rate. Typical adult casual fees sit around $70-$85 standard hours, with a surcharge overnight. Community Services Card holders and under-14s get capped or free rates (children under 14 with a CSC are free), with $26m of the GP package funding those caps.
- Sits alongside the long-standing free Healthline phone service and a record 13.89% GP capitation uplift (about $175m extra this year) announced the same week.
The result:
The service exists, runs 24/7 and had been used by nearly 4,500 people in its first two months, so on the literal promise it is delivered. Whether it fixes the problem it was pitched at is contested. It lands on top of a primary-care system that is roughly 500 GPs short (a gap forecast to top 1,000 within a decade), with 36% of practices closed to new enrolments in 2024. GP leaders argue a virtual stranger cannot replace an ongoing relationship: RNZCGP medical director Dr Luke Bradford called it useful for urgent care but "not a model to deliver general practice continuity of care," while GenPro chair Dr Angus Chambers warned the funding leaves telehealth firms paid more per consult than bricks-and-mortar GPs, "really distorting the market." Health academic Kyle Eggleton cautioned remote-only care can drive over-prescribing and shunt complex cases to EDs.
The impacts to watch:
- Uptake versus history: the Health Quality & Safety Commission found telehealth never exceeded 20% of GP visits even at the pandemic peak and fell to about 8% by 2024, so 24/7 availability does not guarantee New Zealanders will use it.
- Whether it relieves or fragments care: it may ease ED pressure for minor issues, or split records and weaken the enrolled-GP model the same Budget is trying to shore up.
- Equity: the benefit skews to the digitally connected; those without devices, data or a CSC may gain least.
This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record — we welcome corrections.
Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you — these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only — the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.
Key milestones
Government confirms a 24/7 telehealth service is coming
As part of a wider primary-care package, the Government signalled it would stand up a national 24/7 online GP service to give people access to a doctor or nurse practitioner when their usual practice is closed or full. 1News reported the plan alongside a $285m performance funding boost for general practice over three years and a goal of training 100 extra doctors. GP groups gave it a cautious welcome but questioned whether virtual care could substitute for the deeper GP shortage.
Will it actually be used? The adoption question
The Spinoff canvassed whether telehealth can solve the GP crisis, citing Health Quality & Safety Commission research that the share of GP appointments done by video never exceeded 20% even at the pandemic peak and had fallen to around 8%. GPNZ chair Bryan Betty said telehealth's benefits are often "oversold" and best for singular, semi-acute problems, while academic Kyle Eggleton warned remote-only care can encourage over-prescribing and push complex cases to emergency departments. Labour leader Chris Hipkins questioned whether it addressed the underlying workforce shortage.
Service to launch in July through eight providers
Health Informatics NZ reported the national telehealth service would go live in July 2025, run by eight contracted providers including Tend, Practice Plus, CareHQ and Bettr Online, offering online appointments with GPs and nurse practitioners able to prescribe and refer. Industry and clinical figures quoted included GPNZ chair Bryan Betty and RNZCGP president Samantha Murton, who flagged both the access benefit and concerns about how the model would sit alongside enrolled general practice.
Online GP Care goes live nationwide
Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the service was fully available from 1 July 2025, saying New Zealanders could now access round-the-clock virtual consultations with NZ-registered doctors and nurses who can assess, diagnose, prescribe and refer. He said nearly 4,500 people had used it during the May pilot, that clinical notes are sent back to a patient's GP, and that fees are subsidised for under-14s and Community Services Card holders. Brown framed it as bridging gaps rather than replacing GPs.
Family doctors warn of fragmentation and a tilted playing field
RNZ and the NZ Herald reported pushback from general practice. RNZCGP medical director Dr Luke Bradford said the service suited urgent care but was "not a model to deliver general practice continuity of care." GenPro chair Dr Angus Chambers argued telehealth firms were effectively paid more per consultation than local GPs, "really distorting the market," and warned cheaper virtual fees could pull patients away from enrolled practices. The minister responded that the service complements, rather than replaces, GPs.
Public reaction across platforms
Reaction splits between relief at being able to reach a doctor at any hour, especially for those who cannot enrol with a local GP, and scepticism from people who say it is a workaround for a deeper workforce shortage and worry about cost, continuity and being seen by a stranger.
See the conversation:
Aggregated — individual posts are not cited.
Sources
- National official policy page ↗
- Health NZ: Online GP Care (official service page) ↗
- NZ Herald: New virtual GP service could offer cheaper fees, angering family doctors ↗
- Healthcare IT News: New Zealand to launch new 24/7 telehealth service ↗
- Victoria University of Wellington: 80% of GPs closed books to new patients since 2019 ↗
- National Party: GPs to receive record funding boost ↗
- 1News: GP boost, govt reveals plans for 100 new doctors, $285m uplift ↗
- The Spinoff: Will telehealth solve the GP crisis? ↗
- HiNZ: National 24/7 telehealth service to launch in July ↗
- Beehive: Kiwis can now access 24/7 primary healthcare from anywhere in NZ ↗
- RNZ: New 24/7 telehealth service comes online ↗