Bay of Plenty locals will soon have access to a new round-the-clock urgent care service as part of a major health investment being outlined in Budget 2025.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Government’s latest health funding boost would significantly improve access to urgent and after-hours care across the Midland region – which includes Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Waikato, Lakes and Taranaki.

“Strengthening urgent and after-hours care is a key part of our plan to ensure all New Zealanders – including Kiwis living across the Midland region – can access the right care when they need it,” said Brown.

Tauranga is first in line, with a new 24/7 urgent care clinic identified for development by mid-2026. The city’s fast-growing population and over-stretched hospital system have made it a top priority for investment.

“The new service will make sure people in Tauranga get high-quality, consistent urgent care, while helping to take pressure off our hospitals,” said Brown.

The Government will also pour funding into improving services in smaller Bay of Plenty communities, including Whakatāne and Tokoroa, by extending after-hours services and improving access to diagnostics and urgent medicines.

Rural centres such as Te Awamutu, Matamata, Thames, Te Kūiti and Taupō are set to benefit too, with plans for longer opening hours and more clinical support – including 24/7 on-call services for remote areas.

The investment forms part of a wider $16.68 billion health package spread across three Budgets, which the Government said is its biggest commitment to healthcare to date.

“This is about delivering a system that works for every New Zealander – easing pressure on hospitals, strengthening our frontline workforce, and improving outcomes across the board,” said Mr Brown said.

While no new facilities are breaking ground immediately, the focus is on planning, maintaining current services, and expanding access. signals a shift towards long-term fixes over stop-gap solutions

Locals can expect the most visible improvements changes from mid-2026 onwards, when the new services are expected to be fully operational.

Budget 2025 will bring funding for a new 24/7 health service in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell and Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said in a joint statement the new Tauranga service would deliver faster, more accessible urgent care closer to home.

“As part of this investment, a new 24/7 urgent care service has been identified for Tauranga, as well as an extended after-hours service including new weekend hours. This will make it easier for people to access care during evenings and weekends, reducing the pressure on hospital emergency departments,” Uffindell said.

“Strengthening urgent and after-hours care is central to our plan to ensure everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.”

Uffindell said for a fast-growing city such as Tauranga, these changes were about keeping up with demand and ensuring that families, older residents, and workers could get timely care close to home.

Rutherford said the new and improved services would be introduced in the next two years, alongside continued support for existing providers and targeted improvements to rural and regional access.

“This National-led Government is investing more in health than ever before, with a record $16.68 billion across three Budgets to improve health outcomes for Kiwis. This investment is about putting patients first by strengthening healthcare services nationwide to meet local needs and reduce wait times.

“This is a major step toward a healthcare system that works for everyone, ensuring all New Zealanders – including those in Tauranga – have access to timely, quality urgent care, no matter where they live.”

In November, Papamoa’s after-hours medical care clinic Consult365 abruptly closed after being open less than a year.

The clinic’s founder told the Bay of Plenty Times at the time, it had seen 10,000 patients but needed double that or extra funding to be financially sustainable, and the decision to close was “the hardest thing”.

Health NZ said Consult365 was not eligible for capitation funding – payments based on patient enrollments – because it was not set up as a general practice.

It recognised there was “no consistent approach” to funding urgent care services and was looking into “future potential models” for this.

Where the investment will go

Key Budget 2025 initiatives for the Northern region include:

• A new 24/7 urgent care service identified for Counties Manukau by late 2025.
• A new 24/7 urgent care service identified for Whangārei from 2026.
• Maintaining all existing urgent and after-hours healthcare services in the region. 
• Extended after-hour services identified for Dargaville, Hokianga, Kaitaia, and Wellsford. 
• Improved services for rural and remote Northland communities, including better access to diagnostics, urgent medicines, and 24/7 on-call clinical support.

Key Budget 2025 initiatives for the Midland region include:

• A new 24/7 urgent care service identified for Tauranga by mid-2026.
• Maintaining all existing urgent and after-hours healthcare services in the region.  
• Extended after-hour services identified for Thames, Whakatane, Tokoroa, Gisborne, Taupo, Te Kuiti, and Hawera.
• Improved services for rural and remote Midland communities, including better access to diagnostics, urgent medicines, and 24/7 on-call clinical support.

Key Budget 2025 initiatives for the Central region include:

• A new 24/7 urgent care service identified for Palmerston North by mid 2027.
• A new daytime urgent care service identified for Lower Hutt, building on the existing after-hours service in late 2025.
• Maintaining all existing urgent and after-hours healthcare services in the region, with capability to extend hours in central Wellington.  
• Extended after-hour services identified for Dannevirke, Masterton, Levin, and Wairoa.
• Improved services for rural and remote communities, including better access to diagnostics, urgent medicines, and 24/7 on-call clinical support.

Key Budget 2025 initiatives for the South Island include:

• A new 24/7 urgent care service identified for Dunedin by late 2025.
• A new daytime urgent care service identified for Invercargill and Timaru, building on the existing after-hours services.
• Maintaining all existing urgent and after-hours healthcare services in the region.
• Improved after-hour services identified for Alexandra, Ashburton, Balclutha, Golden Bay, Gore, and Oamaru.