Primary health care — the first point of contact with the health system, typically through GPs, practice nurses, community health workers, and allied health professionals — is the foundation of a functioning health system. In New Zealand, primary care is delivered through a mixed public-private model, with Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) coordinating care and government capitation funding supplemented by patient co-payments and, increasingly, targeted grants.
Capitation funding
The core funding for New Zealand primary care is capitation — a per-enrolled-person payment to PHOs, which then contract with general practices. Capitation rates are weighted for higher-need populations (older people, high deprivation, Māori and Pacific peoples).
Community Services Card and Very High User Health Card
Subsidies that reduce co-payments for low-income and high-health-need patients — enabling access at reduced cost.
Primary Mental Health
Significant new funding (post-2019 Budget) has expanded access to psychological support through general practice — enabling GPs and PHOs to provide counselling and psychology services.
Beyond capitation, several grant sources support primary care innovation and access:
Ministry of Health / Health New Zealand
HNZ funds primary care through:
- PHO grants for quality improvement
- Specific primary care programmes (chronic disease management, vaccination outreach)
- Equity funding for practices serving high-need populations
Health Research Council
HRC funds primary care research — including clinical trials, health services research, and kaupapa Māori primary care research.
Te ORA (Māori Medical Practitioners Association) / Hauora Māori
Funding to support Māori health provider development — Māori general practice, Māori community health workers.
Pacific PHOs and Pacific health
Specific funding streams for Pacific community health providers, addressing the significant Pacific health equity gap.
Community health workers (CHWs) — non-clinical workers from communities who navigate health services, support care plans, and connect people with services — are increasingly recognised as essential to reaching underserved communities:
Funding sources:
- PHO contracts with HNZ
- DHB/HNZ equity funding
- Gaming trust grants for community health outreach
- Some philanthropic foundation grants for CHW programmes
Community health worker roles:
- Navigation support (connecting whanau with services)
- Chronic disease support (helping people manage diabetes, respiratory conditions)
- Vaccination outreach
- Maternal and child health support
- Mental health navigation
Reaching communities with limited primary care access:
Mobile health clinics
Funding for mobile health services — clinics that travel to underserved communities:
- Rural outreach
- School-based health services
- Community event health checks
Telehealth
Grants supporting telehealth infrastructure — particularly for rural and remote communities where travel to GP services is prohibitive.
After-hours services
Some communities lack adequate after-hours primary care access — funding for after-hours services reduces emergency department demand.
Rural health is a significant grant category:
- Rural GP workforce support: rural GP incentive packages through HNZ
- Rural Health Allied Workforce: physiotherapy, pharmacy, and nursing in rural settings
- Rural telehealth: connectivity infrastructure and telehealth services
- PRIME (Primary Response in Medical Emergencies): rural first responder support
Some philanthropy targets primary health care access:
- Community foundations: fund community health workers, mobile clinics, and health outreach in their regions
- Gaming trusts: health promotion and prevention programmes
- Corporate foundation health grants: pharmaceutical and health industry foundations
- Todd Foundation and similar trusts: health access for vulnerable communities
Health equity — ensuring that people's health is not determined by their ethnicity, income, or geography — is increasingly central to primary care grant programmes:
Grant applications that specifically address equity — with demonstrated cultural responsiveness and community partnerships — are increasingly competitive with major funders.
For PHOs and general practices seeking grants:
Tahua's grants management platform supports health funders and PHOs managing grant programmes — with health outcome tracking, equity reporting, community health programme management, and the tools that help primary care funders demonstrate the impact of their investment in community health.