- Hon Simeon Brown
Changes to the way first-year GP trainees are employed will make it easier for new doctors to choose general practice and help strengthen the primary care workforce, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
"Health New Zealand will directly employ all first-year GP trainees not already in private practice, removing barriers and making it easier for new doctors to begin their careers in general practice, with applications opening on Monday for 2027.
"Currently, doctors have to leave Health New Zealand employment when they move from hospital training into their first year of GP training and instead become employed by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. That shift can affect leave entitlements and continuity of service, discouraging some from pursuing general practice."
"Under the new model, doctors will remain employed by Health New Zealand during their first year of GP training, keeping the same employment conditions and continuity of benefits as their hospital-based colleagues."
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners will continue to lead the training programme, including curriculum, standards, quality assurance, and clinical placements.
Currently, around 60 per cent of first-year GP trainees are employed by the College, with the remainder employed by private practices. In later years of training, most registrars are employed directly by general practices.
"We know primary care is the cornerstone of our health system. If we want New Zealanders to see a GP when they need one, we must make it simpler and more attractive for doctors to train in general practice.
"We are focused on strengthening the pipeline because every additional GP means better access to healthcare for patients and their families. Building a stronger workforce now will ensure New Zealanders can get the care they need, when they need it."
The Government is also progressing a range of initiatives to strengthen the GP workforce, including:
- Increasing medical training places across Auckland and Otago by 100 per year over the course of this Government.
- Establishing the Waikato Medical School, which will train an additional 120 doctors each year from 2028.
- Funding 100 overseas-trained doctors already living in New Zealand to begin work in GP practices over the next two years.
- Funding up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors a year to train in primary care settings.
- Fully funding GP training fees for all three years of the programme, aligning it with other medical specialties.
