Healthcare

National will extend $ 18 doctor visits to an additional 600,000 lowerincome New Zealanders while giving an additional 350,000 New Zealanders access to the Community Services Card.

This, the party says, will be introduced by July 2018. It will retain free GP visits to under 13s.

Labour also intends to keep this policy while further promising to cut the price of GP visits to Community Services Card holders to $ 8 for adults and $ 2 for teens. The party also proposes lowering the average doctor’s visit fee from $ 42 to $ 32 and the maximum fee from $ 69 to $ 59.

On paid parental leave, National will extend the current 18 week period to 22 while Labour will push it out even further to 26 weeks.