Health costs · New Zealand
Help with health travel costs
National Travel Assistance (NTA) may help with some travel and accommodation when a specialist, not a GP, refers you to publicly funded treatment away from home. How far you travel, how often you go, or a Community Services Card can also matter. Health New Zealand decides.
- Official New Zealand sources
- Private · No account
National Travel Assistance
NTA may contribute toward travel and sometimes accommodation when a specialist refers you to publicly funded treatment away from home and a distance, visit, or Community Services Card rule is met.
National Travel Assistance
- Who
- People a specialist refers to publicly funded assessment or treatment away from their home area, when a distance, visit, or Community Services Card rule is met.
- Why it matters
- Can help with travel, and in some cases accommodation, when Health New Zealand criteria are met. A long enough one-way trip can qualify on distance alone.
- Next step
- Read current distance, frequency and documentation rules before your first trip.
- A one-way trip of more than 80 km for a child, or more than 350 km for an adult, can qualify on distance alone. Shorter trips need a visit rule or a Community Services Card rule.
- You usually need evidence of appointments and costs. Keep fuel receipts, parking and accommodation invoices.
- NTA is separate from ACC travel assistance. If the travel is for an accepted injury, start with the ACC support guide instead of treating NTA as the same payment.
- If you are on a benefit, also check whether Temporary Additional Support could help with urgent one-off travel costs.
What NTA does not cover
- Routine GP, pharmacy or local outpatient visits.
- Travel for private treatment or treatment not publicly funded.
- One-off trips that are not more than 80 km one way for a child, or 350 km one way for an adult, unless a visit rule or Community Services Card rule is met.
- Companion travel in all cases. Check current rules if someone must travel with you.
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Check benefits and supportsOfficial sources used for this guide
Sources reviewed 2026-10-14. No guessed payment amounts.