NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Budget 2014: Over 400,000 children to get free GP visits

NZ Herald
15 May, 2014 02:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Sarah Ivey

Photo / Sarah Ivey

More than 400,000 school children will be entitled to free GP visits through one of the biggest surprises in the Budget 2014.

Free doctor's visits for children will be extended from six up to the age of 13 under a $90 million allocation announced in the Budget.

An extra $1.8 billion has been allocated for the health sector for the next four years under the Budget, taking heath spending to a record $15.6 billion over the next year.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said the $1.8 billion bonus has been allocated to meet cost pressures and population growth.

Read more:
• Budget 2014: 10 things you need to know
• Graphic: Where the Budget money goes
• Bigger surplus unveiled, doctor visits for kids
• Comment: The Great Brain Robbery

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is made up of $1.39 billion of new money and $412 million of savings."

Other major announcements from the Budget include a $200 million investment from the Future Investment Fund for health sector projects, including the new Grey Base Hospital on the West Coast.

Expanding the Government's free GP visit and prescription scheme to include six to 12-year-olds will benefit more than 400,000 more children, Mr Ryall said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Video: Bill English - return to surplus:

Under the scheme, all primary school aged children can go to a doctor for free, any time of the day, as well as being entitled to free prescriptions, he said.

Parents shouldn't be put off getting medical assistance for their young children because of the cost, Mr Ryall said.

"This is an important preventative health measure, as parents will be more likely to take their child to the doctor for treatment before their condition becomes severe. It will also help reduce the number of children presenting at our busy hospital emergency departments with an illness that a GP could have treated."

Discover more

Politics

Budget 2014: Don't expect any KiwiSaver changes

12 May 02:38 AM
New Zealand|politics

Funding crucial as busy watchdogs feel the strain

14 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

$500m to extend paid parental leave

15 May 02:00 AM

The scheme would be offered to general practices from July 1, 2015.

Video: Budget 2014: Brian Fallow's analysis

Of the 1029 general practices nationwide, 1004 practices had opted into the free under-sixes scheme and subsequently 98 per cent of children under six can go to the doctor for free.

The Government had also allocated an additional $23.7 million over four years to support general practices, Mr Ryall said.

"This includes $8.9 million of extra funding for rural general practices and a further $13.3 million to provide a third of New Zealanders with low-cost doctors' visits."

Other new health funding boosts include an extra $112.1 million for disability health services, $110 million for elective surgery, $96 million for increased home-based support services and $33 million for better cancer services.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

District health boards would also benefit from a funding increase, gaining around $320 million for extra services, Mr Ryall said.

While many developed countries were freezing or reducing their health funding, New Zealand's Government was growing public health services, he said.

"Despite tight financial times, this Government has invested an additional $3.34 billion of new operating and capital funding into health in the past five years."

Read more:
• Housing affordability measures
• Auckland transport projects get boost
• $500m to extend paid parental leave
• R & D tax break for startups
• Police budget frozen
• Beneficiaries left out
• $25m to fight kauri dieback
• Fees slashed for targeted tertiary courses

Health budget allocations to take effect over the next four years:

* $90 million to make GP visits and prescriptions free for children aged under 13
* An extra $112.1 million for disability support services.
* An additional $110 million for elective surgery.
* $96 million for home-based support services.
* $40 million for a new Healthy Families NZ campaign, encouraging New Zealanders to eat healthier and exercise more.
* $40 million in additional support for elderly people including people with dementia.
* $32.7 million for faster cancer treatment, including $8 million to increase the number of colonoscopies performed.
* A further $20 million for the rheumatic fever prevention programme.
* $17.8 million for post-graduate education and training of doctors.
* $6.3 million to provide bilateral cochlear implants for children under 18.
* $4 million to increase the number of renal transplants performed.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Shares

Market close: Skellerup climbs 4% as tariff uncertainty eases

13 May 06:04 AM
New ZealandUpdated

'Act of terrorism': Kiwi mum whose son died in MH17 disaster wants Russia held accountable

13 May 05:52 AM
Premium
Technology

Tech Insider: Willis offers some venture capital sugar, but is it enough?

13 May 05:44 AM

“Not an invisible footprint”: Why technology supply chains need optimising

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Market close: Skellerup climbs 4% as tariff uncertainty eases

Market close: Skellerup climbs 4% as tariff uncertainty eases

13 May 06:04 AM

Market enjoys lift as world’s two largest economies reduce tariffs for at least 90 days.

'Act of terrorism': Kiwi mum whose son died in MH17 disaster wants Russia held accountable

'Act of terrorism': Kiwi mum whose son died in MH17 disaster wants Russia held accountable

13 May 05:52 AM
Premium
Tech Insider: Willis offers some venture capital sugar, but is it enough?

Tech Insider: Willis offers some venture capital sugar, but is it enough?

13 May 05:44 AM
Premium
Epsom's ex-Mercy Hospital vastly expanded in $150m project

Epsom's ex-Mercy Hospital vastly expanded in $150m project

13 May 02:00 AM
Deposit scheme reduces risk, boosts trust – General Finance
sponsored

Deposit scheme reduces risk, boosts trust – General Finance

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP