National pledges aged care reform steering group if re-elected

National's health spokesperson, Simeon Brown, has pledged to set up a steering group for aged care reform, working with the industry, if National is re-elected.

Brown made the pledge while speaking at the Aged Care Association Conference 2026 in Wellington, according to RNZ. He said National would work with the industry to put in place a long-term, nation-wide aged care strategy, and that the steering group would be part of that work.

Brown said National agreed with the broad direction of the August report from the Ministerial Advisory Group on Aged Care. The report outlined 40 recommendations, including significant price uplifts and a lower asset threshold, meaning the level of assets above which people pay more toward their care. A separate report on the sector recommended that owners of new rooms receive a 13.8% increase, according to the NZ Herald.

Brown named funding changes, transparent pricing, better capacity planning, faster assessments and smoother transitions when a person's care needs change as priorities. He said funding was only part of the solution for aged care reform.

He also said National would consider using hospital entry and exit payments to fund short stays and to invest in faster admissions. National would also consider delegated models, in which aged care providers carry out most assessments.

Tracey Martin, chief executive of the Aged Care Association, said she would like her organisation to be part of a steering group. She said the association would work with any political parties.