Specific groups are eligible for free COVID-19 testing under the public health response.
Last updated: 23 June 2022
- Testing Information in other languages
- Priority Populations and Community Providers
- Testing if you have a disability
- The COVID Healthcare and Emergency Service Workforce
- Testing for border workforce groups
- Businesses with critical workers under the Close Contact Exemption scheme
- People with COVID-19 symptoms and/or who are household contacts
- International arrivals
Testing information in other languages
- Unite against COVID-19 - health advice and information in other languages
- Ministry for Pacific Peoples COVID-19 resources
Priority Populations and Community Providers
The Ministry of Health has been providing RATs to organisations who support our Priority Populations.
The impacts of COVID-19 are felt differentially across New Zealand communities. Māori and Pacific communities, those living with disabilities, and those in lower socio-economic groups and crowded or institutional settings bear a greater portion of both health and economic impacts and risks.
These people have experienced adverse impacts and are considered at higher risk of the effects from COVID-19 outbreaks in New Zealand. They experience poorer outcomes, higher death rates and increased health, economic and social inequities.
Community providers have been a critical part of responding to COVID-19 outbreaks. They have demonstrated that they are essential in delivering local and regional approaches that reach priority populations in New Zealand.
They help by providing supervised RATs for our Priority Populations.
A list of community providers doing supervised RATs is available on Healthpoint.
See also:
- Guidance for Community Providers
- How to report RATs on ESR Éclair
- See how a Provider supports their community (provider journey) (PDF, 174 KB)
- Find out more about the definition of Priority Populations (PDF, 162 KB)
- RATs supervised testing guidance (PDF, 112 KB)
- Find out when you should have a test
Testing if you have a disability
Your GP will know you and your needs, so if you can, get tested at your GP rather than at a community testing station. If your GP can’t provide a test, they will be able to tell you who can.
Disability sector providers are being supplied with RATs to distribute through their networks.
Community providers have been supplied with RATs to help people that are unable to leave their home get access to them.
Information and advice for the deaf community
The NZ Relay Service and the Video Interpreting Service can be used to contact the Healthline COVID-19 telephone service - 0800 348 5453.
You can also check Healthpoint for testing advice.
More information about testing in alternative formats:
The COVID Healthcare and Emergency Service Workforce
The Ministry of Health has been providing RATs to organisations who will be working directly with COVID-19 cases and contacts.
This includes the Healthcare and Emergency Service Workforce, including people who work in District Health Boards, GPs, Pharmacies, Police, Corrections, first responders, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Managed Isolation Quarantine Facilities.
It also includes high density vulnerable population providers including Aged Residential Care facilities, hospice and other residential healthcare facilities and Youth Justice facilities.
If you work for one of these organisations, have been identified as a household contact and need a test to go to work you will be given RATs by your employer.
See Rapid antigen testing - a guide for critical workers
Testing for border workers
Border workers at managed isolation and quarantine facilities, airports and seaports are required to have routine testing for COVID-19 under the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Required Testing) Order 2020.
See Information on testing requirements for border workers
Businesses with critical workers under the Close Contact Exemption scheme
Critical businesses and organisations can keep their critical workers working if they become a household contact of someone with COVID-19. This is known as the Close Contact Exemption Scheme.
The Scheme allows vaccinated asymptomatic critical workers who are household contacts to be able to go to work and help businesses keep operating.
Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are free for critical workers under the Close Contact Exemption Scheme.
Some Healthcare and Emergency Service Workforces including those who work in the health sector, GPs, pharmacies, aged residential care facilities, Police, Corrections and FENZ, who have been identified as a close contact and need a test to go to work, will be given RATs by their employer.
More information on registering a business for the scheme and on workers accessing RATs:
Workers at businesses registered under the scheme can order their RATs online before picking them up from a collection point.
Critical workers should report their RAT results in My Covid Record.
People with COVID-19 symptoms and/or who are household contacts
All COVID-19 testing for those with symptoms and/or who are household contacts is free.
You can request RATs:
- on the Request a COVID-19 testing kit website. Follow the step by step instructions for how to order your RATs.To use the website, you will need to have access to a mobile phone to validate your RAT order. You can also request RATs for someone else.
- by phone. Ring 0800 222 478 and choose option 3.
If you are eligible for RATs you will be issued an order number. You can then pick up your RAT order from a collection site or have someone collect your order for you (make sure they have your order number).
Targeted Rural Service
Almost 95 percent of households live within a 20-minute drive from a published RATs collection site. There are also other unadvertised RATs access points that exist locally to meet the needs of various populations.
An additional service has been set up to further support the remaining five percent of households that are outside a 20-minute drive from a RATs collection site.
These largely rural households can contact 0800 222 478 to confirm their eligibility.
If eligible, a local provider will work with the household to supply RATs from the public health response through systems established by DHBs and community providers, or via local rural delivery networks.
International arrivals
All travellers (except for those entering quarantine-free and those under 6 months old) will have to complete a Day 0/1 and Day 5/6 rapid antigen test after arriving in New Zealand.