A number of urgent care clinics will extend their opening hours in the new year.
Minister of Health Simeon Brown said Local Doctors Ōtara in south Auckland had already extended its hours until midnight this week, and would shift to full 24/7 care from the 19th of January.
He said Eastcare in east Auckland would also push its closing time from 11pm to 1am in March.
"These changes mean people can get help for urgent health issues any time of the day or night, without going to hospital unless it is a genuine emergency," Brown said in a statement.
Brown said the changes were a result of the government's national "Urgent Care and After Hours Framework", which was pushing for all New Zealanders to have a clinic within an hour's drive.
He noted that recent progress under the framework included a new 24/7 urgent care service in Dunedin, which also opened this week.
-By RNZ