- Hon Simeon Brown
South and East Aucklanders can now access urgent care at any time, with the Counties Manukau after-hours service now operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
"This is a significant milestone for people living in the Counties Manukau area, which has been the only part of Auckland without a 24/7 after‑hours service for several years. Families can now get help for urgent health issues at any time of the day or night, without needing to go to hospital unless it is a genuine emergency," Mr Brown says.
"Families deserve care that is close to home, easy to access, and good value. Extending this proven service to 24/7 means people can get timely, quality medical attention when they need it, while also easing pressure on Middlemore Hospital's emergency department."
The service previously extended its urgent and after-hours care hours from 7.30am to midnight from 17 December 2025, and has now moved to full 24/7 coverage.
Overnight care will be delivered through a flexible workforce model, including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, paramedics, and telehealth support to ensure safe, continuous care.
Mr Brown says restoring 24/7 urgent care access to South and East Auckland was a priority for the Government.
"Counties Manukau previously had a 24/7 urgent care service, but it was closed in December 2020 under the previous government. Today, we are bringing that service back for the community.
"This is part of the Government's national Urgent Care and After-Hours Framework, which aims for 98 percent of New Zealanders to live within a one-hour drive of in-person urgent care.
"Alongside the new and expanded services already in place in Dunedin and Lower Hutt, further upgrades are planned for this year including an expansion of the urgent care service in Whangārei to 24/7, expanded support for rural communities, 24/7 services in Tauranga, extended daytime urgent care in Invercargill, and extended hours for East Auckland from 1 March.
"This is about giving more communities timely access to urgent care and helping reduce pressure on busy hospital emergency departments," Mr Brown says.
