The government will put an extra $4 billion into the health system over the next four years, including funding to catch up on all the procedures that were cancelled because of the lockdown.
The Health Minister, David Clark, says its the biggest increase in the health spend in a decade.
Most of the money will got to District Health Boards for their core work running hospitals but there will be $283 million as a one off to catch up on delays to surgeries, scans and specialist appointments in the lockdown.
Rowan Quinn is RNZ's Health Correspondent.
