From February 1 2026, prescribers in Aotearoa New Zealand can issue prescriptions with a maximum length of 12 months if it is safe and appropriate. This will allow patients to continue accessing their medicines for longer periods of time between appointments with their prescribers.
Currently patients in New Zealand can only be prescribed a maximum of three months of most medicines at a time. Health Minister Simeon Brown states that “This creates unnecessary barriers for patients on stable, long-term medications… It means added costs for patients and more paperwork for health professionals…”.
Patients will only need to pay for the one prescription co-payment when they collect their initial dispensing and won’t pay for subsequent repeats.
These changes to prescription lengths are being made to improve access for patients and deliver better outcomes. From February 1 2026 patients with stable, long-term conditions will be able to save time and money through longer prescription lengths.
Patients who need to renew their prescriptions four times annually will see meaningful savings in GP fees, fuel costs, and less time off work altogether allowing for much more convenient access to medicines.
This will make the most difference to people with long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or menopause.
It also is a win for the health system, freeing up valuable time of doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals to see other patients. This will take more pressure off emergency departments and medical centres.
Further Reading:
Increasing prescribing lengths – Ministry of Health (external link)
12-month prescriptions put money in patients’ pockets – New Zealand Government (external link)
Easier and cheaper prescriptions for Kiwis – New Zealand Government (external link)
Decision on changes to support increased prescription lengths – Pharmac (external link)
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