IV vitamin C, health coaches and nutrients: What’s in NZ First’s health policy

New Zealand First will bring a 15-point health policy to the election campaign that spans researching the potential of intravenous Vitamin C, incentives to improve soil health and embedding nutrition in the education curriculum from primary to medical school.

If elected, the party would campaign on making metabolic health a policy priority, embed written informed consent as a standard in healthcare and launch an independent review of the country’s dietary guidelines.

The policy also includes efforts to reduce GP burnout, introduce more “health coaches” to play a supportive role for GPs and remove the “barriers created by Pharmac and Medsafe” to certain nutrients.

NZ First leader Winston Peters said removing such barriers empowered “people to take greater responsibility for their own health, while still maintaining appropriate safety standards”.

“When access to these nutrients is restricted, delayed or made unnecessarily complicated, it can prevent individuals from taking early, proactive steps to maintain their wellbeing or address minor health concerns before they become more serious.”

Peters described the country’s health system as “an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – and New Zealanders are paying for the ambulance”.

“We will shift the focus of healthcare from treating illness to preventing it,” he said.

“By supporting healthier lifestyles, early intervention and stronger communities, we can keep New Zealanders healthier, reduce pressure on hospitals and build a more sustainable health system.”

The policy’s mental health arm included prioritising nutrition “as the first line of intervention” to allow healthcare providers to adopt “a more holistic, preventative approach that supports both mind and body”.

“This does not replace the need for psychological therapies or, in some cases, medication, but it lays a foundational platform for recovery and resilience.

“In a mental health crisis that continues to grow globally, especially among young people, it is time to recognise food not just as fuel, but as a fundamental part of mental healthcare.”

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Photo / NZME

The policy includes:

• Strong focus on metabolic health.
• Ensure that informed consent is a core part of quality healthcare.
• Recognise that consumer choice is what leads to healthier decisions.
• Promote nutrition from primary school to medical school.
• Require a full independent review of the country’s dietary guidelines.
• Reduce administrative burden and restore professional autonomy in General Practice.
• Support GPs by bringing health coaches into primary care.
• Find better ways to acknowledge nurses.
• Fund New Zealand scientists to assess nutritional interventions for preventing and treating mental illness.
• Remove Medsafe/Pharmac barriers to recognised safe nutrients.
• Invest in hospital trials to assess the effectiveness of intravenous vitamin C pre- and post-surgery for preventing and treating infections.
• Fund a review of vitamin D and determine optimal levels for maintaining health.
• Invest in agricultural innovation that improves productivity, soil health, sustainability and resilience while researching practical alternatives to potentially harmful agricultural sprays.
• Cut barriers for organic produces and encourage investment and innovation; grow new markets so New Zealand’s organic industry can create more jobs, strengthen regional communities and deliver greater value from land.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.