Labour pledges free maternity ultrasounds under Medicard scheme

Labour will fund maternity ultrasounds free under its Medicard health scheme if elected. Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said the policy covers at least two routine scans—the dating scan at 12 weeks and anatomy scan at 20 weeks—that pregnant New Zealanders currently pay for themselves. The 16 June announcement positions it as a cost-of-living measure alongside earlier Medicard commitments on GP visits and cervical screening.