An extra 20,900 Bay of Plenty children will be able to go to the doctor free after free GP visits and prescriptions were extended to children under 13.
Health Minister Tony Ryall announced last week $90 million would be invested over three years to extend the free-under-6s scheme to children under 13 from July next year.
"From 1 July 2015, more than 400,000 primary school-aged children will be able to go to the doctor for free, any time of the day or night, and get their prescriptions for free," Mr Ryall said.
"This is what careful financial management can deliver to kiwi families.
"This is an important preventative health measure, as parents will be more likely to take their child to the doctor for treatment before their condition becomes severe. It will also help reduce the number of children presenting at our busy hospital emergency departments with an illness their GP could have treated.