Pre-election political panel follow up questions
We’ve invited health spokespeople for the parties currently in Parliament to be part of our pre-election political panel on dementia on 1 September.
As promised, we packaged up all the questions from the panel that we weren’t able to get to on the night and sent them to the panellists.
Here are the first answers we’ve received and we’ll update this page as we get more.
Here is the full list of questions we sent to all panellists. Please note some questions were asked of specific parties so aren’t on this list.
Last updated 22 September 2026
Answers
A nationally consistent younger-onset dementia pathway
Q. Will you support the development and funding of a nationally consistent pathway for people with younger-onset dementia, from first concerns and diagnosis through to post-diagnostic support, progression and end-of-life care, spanning health, disability support, employment and income, respite and home support, housing, transport, residential care and palliative care? What would you deliver next term?
A. New Zealand First supports the development and funding of a nationally consistent pathway for people living with younger-onset dementia. New Zealand First’s core principles establish that health expenditure must be treated as a critical investment in human wellbeing rather than merely a balance sheet item.
Our past policies explicitly mandate establishing and implementing a national strategy for addressing dementia and other major health conditions requiring coordinated national service delivery, alongside dedicated research funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
To address younger-onset conditions specifically, NZ First committed and delivered on undertaking a Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry into aged care provision, specifically mandated to include supporting people with early-onset conditions and reviewing appropriate asset thresholds.
For policies next term, make sure to look at our manifesto for 2026 election which will be released very soon.
Government endorsement of the Dementia Action Plan
Q. Has the Government formally approved or endorsed the revised Dementia Action Plan? If not, why not, and will you commit to doing so?
A. The initial Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan 2020–2025 (developed by Alzheimers NZ, Dementia NZ, the NZ Dementia Foundation, and Te Mate Wareware Advisory Rōpū) was formally endorsed by Cabinet in 2021 under the previous government.
That endorsement led to a $12 million allocation in Budget 2022 to fund initial pilot programs across community navigation, post-diagnostic support, and respite care.
The refreshed 2026–2031 Action Plan is currently before the Government and Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) for review and formal policy consideration.
New Zealand First remains committed to working within Cabinet and alongside Health NZ to progress formal approval and endorsement of the refreshed Dementia Action Plan. NZ First’s health platform requires establishing nationwide strategies for major clinical conditions including dementia