Finding low-cost care: New Zealand.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia · India · Philippines.

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Finding low-cost care: New Zealand

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/finding-low-cost-care

This sheet lists the kinds of low-cost care that exist, how to ask about price, and the official places to look where you live. It is general information, not medical advice.

Where to look

Community health centers and free clinics.
Clinics with sliding-scale or reduced fees.
Pharmacists and free health advice lines.
Public programs for people on low incomes.

Ask on the phone

Are you seeing new patients?
What does a visit cost, and is there a reduced fee?
What should I bring?
Can I have an interpreter?

Bring with you

Any ID or health card you have.
Proof of income, if they use a sliding scale.
A list of the medicines you take.

If it can’t wait

If it might be an emergency, call the emergency number first.
If you’re not sure where to go, call the free advice line below.

In New Zealand

Healthline. Healthline, on 0800 611 116, is free and open 24 hours a day, every day, with nurses and paramedics who can tell you what to do next and help you find an after-hours GP, an emergency department, a pharmacy or an after-hours dentist. Interpreters are available in up to 150 languages. In an emergency, call 111.
Enrol with a general practice. It is free to enrol with a general practice if you are eligible, and enrolled patients pay a lower, subsidised fee; practices usually charge more if you are not enrolled. If a practice is not taking new patients, it should refer you to its primary health organisation (PHO) for help finding another.
Free for children 13 and under. All eligible children aged 13 and under can have free general practice visits, during the day and after hours. Not all practices provide free visits, so check with the practice first.
Community Services Card. People on a low income, in public housing or getting an accommodation supplement may be able to get a Community Services Card, run by Work and Income (0800 999 999). It lowers the cost of general practice visits, after-hours visits and prescriptions, and can help with emergency dental care and glasses for children under 16.
Prescriptions. Most prescribed medicines are subsidised. There is a standard $5 charge per item on new prescriptions, but not for children 13 and under, Community Services Card holders, people 65 or over or Prescription Subsidy Card holders. Once a person or family has paid for 20 items since 1 February, they get a Prescription Subsidy Card and pay no more prescription charges until the next 1 February.
Urgent care and pharmacies. If it is not life-threatening but can’t wait, an after-hours or urgent medical centre can help without an appointment, though you might wait. Pharmacists can advise on common problems such as coughs and colds without an appointment.

Official places to check:

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: www.healthnz.govt.nz/online-phone-healthcare/healthline
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: www.healthnz.govt.nz/hospitals-services/services-support/general-practices
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: www.healthnz.govt.nz/hospitals-services/eligibility-subsidies/community-services-card
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/tests-and-treatments/medicines/prescriptions
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: www.healthnz.govt.nz/hospitals-services/which-health-service-should-i-use

More free official help in New Zealand: moraph.org/commons/help/health-access/nz

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 20 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/finding-low-cost-care