ELIGIBILITY FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTHCARE AND DISABILITY SERVICES

A number of migrants travelling to New Zealand are not fully aware as to their eligibility for publicly funded health care and disability services in New Zealand if treatment is required during the course of their stay.

Set out below is an eligibility checklist for the provision of publicly funded health care and disability services in New Zealand. People present in New Zealand are eligible for publicly funded health care and disability services if they are:

1. New Zealand citizens;
2. New Zealand residence class visa holders;
3. Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents who have been living, or intend to live, in New Zealand for two years or more;
4. Refugees, or people who have applied to become refugees and their applications have been accepted by Immigration, or people who are in the process of having an Appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal determined;
5. Protected persons, or people who have applied to become protected persons, or people in the process of having an appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal determined;
6. Pregnant wives or partners of eligible people, who require maternity-related services;
7. Pregnant women who require services to prevent transmission of HIV;
8. Children and young people aged under 18 years of age who are in the care and control of a parent or guardian (or a person in the process of legally adopting them or who has applied to be appointed as a guardian of that child) and that person is:
   1. A New Zealand citizen or certain holders of residence class visas;
   2. An Australian citizen or permanent resident visa holders, including resident returning visas;
   3. Holders of interim visas;
   4. Holders of work visas;
   5. Refugees;
   6. Protected persons;
   7. Victim of trafficking and people offence;
   8. New Zealand aid program student.
9. Persons aged up to 20 years of age if, immediately before the commencement of this direction, were aged 18 or 19 years of age and were eligible to receive services funded under the Act because their parent held a work visa, or they were eligible to receive services immediately before the commencement of this new direction;
10. Children requiring certain vaccinations;
11. Children requiring Well Child/Tamariki Ora services;
12. Work visa holders whose visa is for two years or more, or who have a current work visa which, together with previous visas, allows them to be continuously in New Zealand for two years or more;
13. Holders of interim visas if, immediately before the person became a holder of a interim visa, the person was eligible to receive services;
14. NZAID Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) scholarship holders, or their partners;
15. Participants in the Ministry of Education’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship scheme;
16. Commonwealth scholarship holders;
17. Victims of people trafficking offences, if the person is a victim of an offence against Section 98d of the Crimes Act 1961, and the New Zealand Police suspects that that person is a victim of an offence against that section;
18. Persons who require certain services in an emergency;
19. Persons who require services related to personal injury;
20. Ineligible persons who require services under certain legislation, namely the Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966, Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003, and the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003;
21. United Kingdom nationals who require services covered by the reciprocal agreement with the United Kingdom;
22. Persons covered by reciprocal Health Agreement with Australia where the person is a resident of Australia, and the person has not been in New Zealand and does not intend to stay in New Zealand for at least two consecutive years, and the services are required to be provided under the agreement; and
23. Prisoners requiring services not available through prison health services.

If you are present in New Zealand, and are not categorised in the above eligibility list you will not be eligible for publicly funded health care or disability services in New Zealand and therefore you will be required to pay for the full costs of your care in New Zealand.

Migrants therefore who are not eligible for publicly funded health care or disability services should apply for and obtain appropriate health insurance before travelling to New Zealand to cover their entire period of stay in New Zealand until they become eligible.

The eligibility criteria change frequently and therefore the above information should not be relied upon solely to determine potential eligibility. We recommend that all migrants receive appropriate advice regarding the purchase of travel insurance and/or contact the Ministry of Health in New Zealand directly to confirm eligibility criteria before travelling to New Zealand.