Up to 700 GP trainees to benefit from funding boost this year

At GP25: Conference for General Practice in July, Health Minister Hon Simeon Brown announced significant additional funding for registrars across the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP). This was an important acknowledgement of the value of general practice as a medical specialism and the need to grow and retain the GP workforce.

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) has been working alongside Minister Brown and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora to confirm how this funding, the “Training Boost,” will be used to benefit registrars. The package includes:

• Funding for up to 337 of our GPEP year 3 and 3+ trainees to complete their training and undergo their Fellowship Assessment. These trainees may not have been able to complete Fellowship previously due to financial and other constraints
• Registrar-incurred learning and membership fees will be paid by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for currently enrolled GP registrars in years 2, 3 and 3+ of GPEP for the 2025 academic year.

Funding support will be sustained beyond 2026 to ensure GP registrars are supported to complete their training and become vocationally registered general practitioners in New Zealand, as previously announced by the Minister.

This further funding will help support ongoing training and education costs for approximately 400 GPEP year 2 and 3 trainees annually.

College CE Toby Beaglehole says, “The Training Boost significantly reduces the financial constraints that have long been associated with becoming a specialist GP. As a College, we can now focus more tightly on the growth and retention of the GP workforce and training our registrars to be innovative and adaptable GP leaders tending to the complex and evolving needs of patients and communities.

“This funding means that up to 700 GP registrars who are currently in years 2,3 and 3+ of GPEP will have their incurred learning and membership fees paid (or refunded) to support them to complete their training and become specialist GPs.

“I’d also like to acknowledge the huge amount of work and cross-organisation collaboration that has been undertaken to get us to this point. Working together with Health New Zealand to deliver on a future-proofed, sustainable general practice workforce will have a significantly positive impact on health outcomes and is a massive win for patients.”

Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora National Chief Medical Officer says, “Supporting GP registrars through sustained funding will strengthen the pipeline of future general practitioners to the benefit of communities right across Aotearoa.

General practice is the backbone of our health system. GPs are often the first point of contact for patients and play a critical role in prevention, diagnosis, and long-term care. We need far more of them, and we need to support them better.

This new investment helps remove financial barriers that have historically limited access to specialist GP training, and it is a meaningful step toward a more equitable and resilient health system.”