National Pledges Aged Care Reform Steering Group If Re-Elected

Anya
Fielding Reporter

National’s
health spokesperson has pledged to establish a steering
group for aged care reform in collaboration with the
industry if National is re-elected.

Simeon Brown spoke
at the Aged Care Association Conference 2026 in Wellington
on Thursday morning.

Attendees told RNZ they wanted
politicians to address gaps in funding and recruitment,
especially in rural communities.

They called for a
sustainable plan that lasted longer than a three-year
term.

One residential care provider said she wanted to
see changes in the transition between care at home and in
hospital or hospice.

One attendee insisted: “Aged care
is healthcare.”

Another expressed frustration at aged
care reform being “kicked down the road” by successive
governments.

The Ministerial Advisory Group on Aged
Care in New Zealand called for reform in their August
report, outlining 40 recommendations including the
government committing to “significant price uplifts” and
lowering the threshold at which people with assets must pay
more towards their care.

Brown said National agreed
with the broad direction of the report and pledged to work
with the industry to implement a long-term, nation-wide
strategy, including standing up a steering group.

He
said changes in funding, introducing transparent pricing,
better capacity planning, faster assessments and smoother
transitions when treatment needed change were the
priorities.

He said funding was “what keeps many of
you [providers] up at night” and argued for funding to be
allocated based on patients’ needs and the complexity of
their care.

Brown also said National would consider
hospital entry and exit payments to fund short-stays and
invest in faster admissions.

But
he said funding was only part of the solution and a suite of
changes was needed to provide a nationwide, uniform, “more
joined-up” system.

“The objective is the right care in
the right place at the right time.”

He said National
would consider “delegated models” where aged care providers
undertook most assessments, to cut out delays and better use
clinical skills in facilities.

And he said aged care
would benefit from wider healthcare reforms, such as
National’s plans to fund more training, retention and
recruitment.

“Of course, none of this works without
people.”

Brown said his coalition partners supported
reform in the sector.

Aged Care Association chief
executive Tracey Martin praised Brown’s speech, saying it
“recognise that reform has to happen”.

She cited
keeping beds open and an infrastructure grant as immediate
priorities.

She said she would like her organisation
to be to be part of a steering group and would be willing to
work with any of the political
parties.

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