National Travel Assistance in New Zealand: who qualifies, what it pays and how to claim

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-09-09 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

National Travel Assistance in New Zealand helps eligible people with specialist travel costs, and the current temporary mileage rate is 44 cents per kilometre from 2 April 2026 (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). It applies to government-funded specialist referrals, not GP visits, and it can also cover accommodation and some support-person costs, which makes it relevant alongside QuoteHub's guides on financial help when sick and cancer financial support.

What is National Travel Assistance?

National Travel Assistance is a Health New Zealand scheme, based on the NTA Policy 2005, that helps with travel and accommodation costs when you must travel for government-funded specialist care (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). It sits alongside other off-work-sick support such as sick leave entitlement, medical certificates and returning to work after illness.

It is separate from ACC transport support, and Health New Zealand says you are not eligible if you get, or are eligible for, travel assistance from ACC, Work and Income, MSD, the Ministry of Transport or the Ministry of Education (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If your travel is tied to an injury rather than illness, read ACC vs sickness benefit in NZ and ACC weekly compensation explained.

The key limit is that you must be referred by a specialist to another specialist, and both specialists must be part of a government-funded health or disability service (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). GP-to-specialist travel on its own does not meet that rule.

A lot of people find NTA when treatment becomes frequent, especially for cancer care, dialysis or repeated outpatient specialist appointments. If illness is also cutting your income, compare this page with Jobseeker Support NZ, financial help when sick and income protection insurance.

Does National Travel Assistance cover a GP visit?

No. National Travel Assistance requires a referral from one specialist to another specialist within a government-funded service, so a routine GP visit or a first GP-to-specialist referral does not qualify (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If a GP certificate is what you actually need, see medical certificate NZ.

Who can get it?

The headline temporary mileage rate is 44 cents per kilometre from 2 April 2026 (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Rule area	What Health NZ publishes
Referral type	Specialist to specialist, both in a government-funded health or disability service (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Adult distance rule	More than 350 km one way per visit (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Child distance rule	More than 80 km one way per visit (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
High frequency rule	At least 22 visits in 2 months (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Repeated travel rule, adult	At least 6 visits in 6 months and more than 50 km one way (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Repeated travel rule, child	At least 6 visits in 6 months and more than 25 km one way (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
CSC distance rule, adult	Community Services Card holder, more than 80 km one way per visit, no minimum visit count published (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
CSC distance rule, child	Community Services Card holder, more than 25 km one way per visit, no minimum visit count published (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Exclusions	Not eligible if you get or can get help from ACC, Work and Income, MSD, Ministry of Transport or Ministry of Education (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)

Who is eligible for national travel assistance in NZ?

You are eligible for National Travel Assistance in New Zealand only if you meet at least 1 published referral and distance or frequency rule, such as travelling more than 350 km one way as an adult, more than 80 km one way as a child, or making 22 visits in 2 months (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Health New Zealand also publishes a repeated-travel pathway. An adult can qualify with at least 6 visits in 6 months and more than 50 km one way, and a child can qualify with at least 6 visits in 6 months and more than 25 km one way (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

If you hold a Community Services Card, Health New Zealand publishes a separate qualifying pathway based on distance alone, with no published minimum visit count: more than 80 km one way per visit for an adult, or more than 25 km one way per visit for a child (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What is the travel allowance in New Zealand?

For this scheme, the current National Travel Assistance mileage allowance is 44 cents per kilometre from 2 April 2026, and Health New Zealand says the increase lasts up to 12 months or until 91-octane petrol drops below $3 a litre for 4 weeks running, whichever happens first (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

That is not the only payment type. Health New Zealand also publishes accommodation support of up to $140 a night with an invoice, or $35 a night if you stay with friends or family, plus full public transport and airfares with the required tickets or itinerary (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What does it pay?

The headline accommodation cap with an invoice is up to $140 per night (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Cost type	Current published payment
Private vehicle mileage, attended after 2 April 2026	$0.44 per km (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Private vehicle mileage, attended 1 April 2024 to 1 April 2026	$0.34 per km (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Accommodation with invoice	Up to $140 per night (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Staying with family or friends	$35 per night (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Public transport	Full cost, ticket required (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Air travel	Full cost, full itinerary required (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)

Health New Zealand says private vehicle mileage is calculated by the shortest practical route (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). It also says accommodation is not usually approved for travel under 100 km one way (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

The scheme can also cover a support person's costs when the specialist recommends one for clinical decision-making or physical support, and a support person is automatic for an eligible child (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If your illness is causing larger budget pressure than travel alone, go to cancer financial support NZ, paying for non-Pharmac drugs and health insurance non-Pharmac drugs.

Does National Travel Assistance pay for accommodation?

Yes, up to $140 a night with an invoice attached, or a $35-a-night allowance if you stay with family or friends instead of a motel (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Health New Zealand says accommodation is not usually approved for a trip under 100 km one way, and any accommodation claim may need specialist approval (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

How much does national travel assistance pay per km?

National Travel Assistance currently pays 44 cents per kilometre for eligible travel attended from 2 April 2026, and Health New Zealand says this is a temporary 30 percent increase from the earlier 34 cents per kilometre rate (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

For appointments attended before that change, Health New Zealand publishes a mileage rate of $0.34 per kilometre from 1 April 2024 to 1 April 2026 (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you are travelling for an ACC-covered injury instead, read what ACC does not cover and use the ACC gap calculator only as a separate comparison tool, because NTA and ACC travel help cannot both apply to the same eligible trip.

How do you claim?

The deadline figure is 12 months from the appointment date to lodge a claim (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Step	What Health NZ says to do
1	Register through your hospital travel coordinator, specialist or social worker (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
2	Health NZ assesses eligibility and sends a confirmation letter plus claim forms (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
3	Complete the claim form and have it signed or stamped by the treatment facility (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
4	Attach original itemised receipts for costs claimed (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
5	Provide bank account verification for your first claim (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)
6	Send the claim within 12 months of the appointment date (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026)

How do I file a National travel assistance claim?

You file a National Travel Assistance claim by first registering through your hospital travel coordinator, specialist or social worker, then sending the completed form with receipts within 12 months of the appointment date (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Your form must be signed or stamped by the treatment facility, and Health New Zealand says your first claim also needs bank account verification (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If income has also dropped while you are off work, compare how long can you be off work sick with Jobseeker Support NZ.

Where can I find the National Travel Assistance Registration Form?

Health New Zealand publishes that registration starts through your hospital travel coordinator, specialist or social worker, and after assessment it sends a confirmation letter and claim forms, so a universal public self-download registration form is not published on the main NTA page (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

That means the practical first step is to ask the treating hospital team for the form pathway, not your GP. If the travel is part of cancer treatment, also check cancer financial support NZ and financial help when sick NZ for non-travel support.

How can I contact National travel assistance?

Health New Zealand says claims can be sent to National Travel Assistance Sector Operations, Health New Zealand, PO Box 1026, Wellington 6140, or by email to [email protected] (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

If you are contacting them before you are registered, your hospital travel coordinator, specialist or social worker is still the published starting point (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). For employment-side questions during treatment, see telling your employer you are sick, sick leave entitlement NZ and medical certificate NZ.

What it does not cover, and how it fits your wider situation

What does National Travel Assistance not cover?

The key exclusion is duplicate help. Health New Zealand says you are not eligible if you get, or are eligible for, travel assistance from ACC, Work and Income, MSD, the Ministry of Transport or the Ministry of Education (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

It also does not apply to ordinary GP visits because the scheme requires a specialist referral to another specialist within a government-funded service (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If your issue is paying for GP evidence for leave or benefits, see medical certificate NZ.

If your time off work is caused by injury rather than illness, ACC may be the main system for income support, and employees can receive 80 percent of pre-injury average weekly earnings before tax from week 2 if eligible (ACC, retrieved 9 September 2026). That is different from NTA, which is about specialist travel costs.

What if you are off work as well as travelling for treatment?

National Travel Assistance helps with travel, not wages. If you are too unwell to work, Employment New Zealand says eligible employees get 10 days paid sick leave a year (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If illness lasts longer, support can shift toward financial help when sick NZ, Jobseeker Support NZ or Supported Living Payment (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).

For example, Work and Income publishes a Jobseeker Support rate of $372.55 a week net for a single person aged 25+ with no children from 1 April 2026 (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026). It publishes a Supported Living Payment rate of $424.60 a week net for a single person aged 18+ (Work and Income, retrieved 9 September 2026).

If your household wants to plan for a future long illness, QuoteHub's income protection guide, income protection calculator, do I need income protection insurance, income protection waiting periods and income protection vs trauma insurance explain the private-insurance side without replacing public support.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

How does this fit with cancer treatment and other long-term illness?

National Travel Assistance is often most useful when specialist treatment is frequent or far from home. Health New Zealand publishes a high-frequency threshold of 22 specialist visits in 2 months and a repeated-travel threshold of 6 visits in 6 months with distance rules attached (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

That makes it especially relevant for people dealing with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, haematology appointments and other ongoing specialist treatment. Cancer Society also publishes a Cancer Information Helpline on 0800 226 237 (Cancer Society New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Blood Cancer NZ says it may offer food and petrol vouchers, but a fixed dollar amount is not published (Blood Cancer NZ, retrieved 9 September 2026).

If medicine costs are the bigger issue than travel, see paying for non-Pharmac drugs NZ, non-Pharmac drug cover cost NZ, health insurance specialist appointments NZ and public vs private healthcare NZ.

Practical steps

What records should you keep before you travel?

The most important records are your approval letter, claim forms, treatment confirmation and original itemised receipts, because Health New Zealand requires those for claiming (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Keep tickets for bus, train or ferry travel, and keep the full itinerary for flights (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

For a first claim, keep your bank account verification ready as well (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If work absence is becoming a problem, collect any proof needed for leave or benefit applications and read managing sick leave, telling your employer you are sick and can insurers access medical records in NZ.

Verdict

National Travel Assistance is one of the more practical New Zealand health supports because the published rate is 44 cents per kilometre from 2 April 2026, and it can also pay up to $140 a night for accommodation with an invoice (Health New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The catch is that you must fit the specialist-referral rules and cannot claim duplicate transport help from ACC or Work and Income. For the wider money picture, QuoteHub's best next reads are financial help when sick NZ, cancer financial support NZ, ACC vs sickness benefit NZ, income protection guide and the income protection calculator.

Adviser's view

QuoteHub's take is that the scheme is more generous than its reputation suggests, but two assumptions trip people up. First, a GP visit or a first referral does not qualify, only a specialist-to-specialist referral within a government-funded service does. Second, the payment cannot be claimed alongside ACC or Work and Income travel help for the same trip, which is where a genuine double claim usually goes wrong.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). National Travel Assistance NZ: who qualifies. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/off-work-sick/national-travel-assistance. Updated 2026-09-09.