GPs Launch Election 2026 Manifesto Aiming to Strengthen Hauora Māori and Rural Care

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) has officially placed primary healthcare at the heart of the Election 2026 debate, according to a report by Waatea News on 26 September 2026. The College launched a national campaign and a five-point manifesto calling for significant investment in general practice and rural medicine, sectors they argue are foundational to the Aotearoa health system. The new campaign, titled "Your GP. The specialist who knows you – He hononga whānau, he oranga whānui," emphasizes the importance of long-term relationships between doctors, patients, and whānau. RNZCGP President Dr Luke Bradford stated that general practice should be treated as the foundation of the health system, noting that while approximately 90 percent of medical issues are managed in primary care, the sector receives only about 6 percent of the total health budget. Central to the College's manifesto is a call to improve health equity. The RNZCGP highlighted that Māori, Pacific peoples, and rural communities are among those most affected when general practices face staffing shortages or patients encounter barriers to care. The manifesto urges the next Government to ensure funding and workforce planning recognize ethnicity, rurality, and deprivation, while also advocating for greater Māori involvement in workforce strategy. As the 2026 election approaches, the College is challenging all political parties to clarify which of their five priorities they will support. These priorities include increasing investment in primary care, funding the full workload of practices, strengthening clinical leadership, and growing the rural workforce. By putting these issues at the forefront, the College aims to address systemic pressures on hospitals by bolstering the specialists who serve communities directly.