Aotearoa New Zealand Election 2026

With the Aotearoa New Zealand election approaching, we are advocating for stronger access to specialist care. 

Read our Let Us Care election statement [PDF] and use our Advocacy Pack to engage with candidates in your local electorate. Join our Town Hall with MPs on Tuesday, 6 October to hear directly about their parties’ health priorities and plans for the specialist workforce.

Together, RACP members can help ensure the experiences of patients, whānau and health professionals remain firmly on the political agenda.

Join our Town Hall with Aotearoa New Zealand MPs

Hear directly from political representatives about their parties’ health priorities and plans for the future of the health workforce at our virtual Town Hall.

Held on Tuesday, 6 October from 7pm to 8pm NZDT, the discussion will focus on Let Us Care and its three key asks for a sustainable, well-supported specialist workforce. 

If you have a question, please submit it in the online registration form or email us by Tuesday, 29 September.

Register now

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Let Us Care: A plan to improve specialist care for New Zealanders

We’re pleased to share Let Us Care: A plan to improve specialist care for New Zealanders [PDF] – our Aotearoa New Zealand Election Statement. 

Too many New Zealanders are waiting too long for specialist assessment, diagnosis and treatment. This is not simply a workforce challenge – it is an access to care issue. 

The RACP is calling on all political parties to:

• Legislate a 10-year National Health Workforce Plan that survives electoral cycles.
• Build a sustainable specialist workforce through investment in training, support and retention.

Strengthen rural and regional training and workforce pathways so New Zealanders can access specialist care closer to home.

Election Statement

Your voice can help – access the advocacy pack 

We’ve developed an Advocacy Pack to help you engage with your local MP or candidates on these priorities. It includes template correspondence that you can personalise with your own clinical experience and the issues that matter most to your patients and community.

Advocacy pack