Medical equipment finance for New Zealand GP practices, specialists, surgical centres, radiology .

NZ medical-equipment finance commonly runs from $20,000 at the GP diagnostic-bundle end to $3,000,000-plus at the MRI scanner end. A GP or urgent-care diagnostic refresh (ECG, spirometry, examination kit, point-of-care testing) commonly sits at $20,000 to $80,000. An ultrasound unit (GE, Mindray, Philips) for GP point-of-care, obstetrics, musculoskeletal, vascular, or cardiology specialist use commonly sits at $60,000 to $250,000. A day-surgical theatre fitout (anaesthetic machine, ventilator, theatre lights, electrosurgical, monitors, table) commonly sits at $150,000 to $600,000. Larger imaging assets (general radiography X-ray, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI) sit at $300,000 to $3,000,000-plus.

Medsafe (a business unit of the Ministry of Health) administers medical-device oversight in NZ. Many devices carry a notification and device-class assessment requirement; some lower-risk classes (general examination kit, basic diagnostics) carry lighter regulatory profiles, while higher-risk classes (implantables, certain surgical and theatre equipment, novel imaging) carry tighter device-class assessment. Lenders financing higher-risk classes commonly want device-class status confirmed in the application file. Medsafe publishes the device-classification framework and the notification process under the Therapeutic Products Act and Medicines Act framework.

Speirs Finance is a NZ specialist asset-finance lender with a documented healthcare specialism covering medical, dental, optometry, and allied-health practices. The Healthcare pathway suits established practices on chattel mortgage across diagnostic kit, ultrasound, theatre and surgical equipment, and clinical fitout typically in the $30,000 to $400,000 range. The pathway publishes flexibility for first-time principals where 2 to 3 years of historical practice trading data does not yet exist, supported by practitioner registration evidence and personal guarantee. Final rate and approval are set by Speirs Finance after assessment.

Henry Schein Financial Services publishes a medical-equipment finance pathway alongside the Henry Schein NZ medical-supply business, with a published starting limit up to $500,000 for medical-equipment bundles. The pathway is commonly used to bundle ultrasound, diagnostic kit, sterilisation equipment, and ancillary kit into a single facility settled directly to Henry Schein. The pathway is a vendor-finance route rather than an independent NZ bank or non-bank lender; final terms are set by the underlying funder under its own assessment. The bank medical-finance teams (BNZ Partners, ANZ, ASB) and Speirs Finance Healthcare cover the broader independent-lender pool.

ACC contract revenue, paid under the Accident Compensation Act 2001 no-fault accident-cover scheme administered by ACC, is a recognisable recurring revenue line for many NZ medical practices alongside private-pay, Southern Cross and NIB insurer rebates, and Health New Zealand contracts. Lenders reviewing serviceability commonly consider ACC and Health NZ contract flow as a stable underwriting line because the funder is a NZ public-sector entity rather than individual patients. Practices with a significant ACC mix (sports-medicine, musculoskeletal, urgent care, certain surgical scopes) commonly access tighter pricing supported by the documented ACC revenue.

A GST-registered medical practice can typically claim the GST component on diagnostic, ultrasound, theatre, and imaging equipment acquired under chattel mortgage as input tax in the relevant GST return, subject to the accountant's confirmation. Where the equipment is acquired under chattel mortgage, the full GST is typically claimable upfront. Where it is acquired under finance lease, GST is typically claimed across the rental payments. The GST treatment of medical and surgical services is mixed in NZ under the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985: most medical and surgical services to private patients are GST-zero-rated or exempt while some allied health and cosmetic services are standard-rated, which affects the input-tax claim profile across mixed services. The accountant is the right person to confirm the position on the specific practice.

NZ medical equipment commonly attracts 4 to 7 year loan terms depending on asset class. Diagnostic kit (ECG, spirometry, examination) commonly runs 4 to 5 year terms reflecting useful-life turnover at high-volume practices. Ultrasound and point-of-care imaging commonly run 5 year terms. Theatre and surgical kit, X-ray, CT, and MRI imaging commonly run 5 to 7 year terms reflecting longer asset life. Lenders commonly will not write a term that exceeds the practical residual life of the equipment, and imaging-suite installs integrated into a leased building typically need a lease term at least matching the loan term.

Indicative rates on NZ medical-equipment finance commonly sit in the 7% to 14% per annum band depending on structure, security, and practice profile. Bank medical-finance teams (BNZ Partners, ANZ Business, ASB, Westpac) price the lowest band on relationship-managed established practices (commonly 7-10%). Specialist healthcare lenders such as Speirs Finance Healthcare and Heartland Bank sit at 8-12%. Vendor-finance pathways through Henry Schein FS and DLL programmes sit in similar bands to specialist healthcare. Unsecured top-ups for ancillary kit and clinical IT sit higher (commonly 11-14%). Final rate is set by the lender after assessment.

CT and MRI scanners (commonly $600,000 to $3,000,000-plus) are typically financed as relationship-managed bank facilities through the medical-finance teams at BNZ Partners, ANZ Business, ASB, or Westpac. Structure commonly combines a chattel mortgage on the scanner with a term loan covering the building works (RF-shielded room for MRI, lead-shielded room for CT, install services). Drawdowns are commonly staged across deposit, building works milestones, scanner install, and commissioning over an 8 to 24 week window. Scanner manufacturers (Siemens Healthineers, GE HealthCare, Philips, Canon Medical) commonly run vendor-finance pathways alongside, but the mainstream NZ structure is the bank-led relationship facility given the asset value.

Practitioner registration under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 is a precondition every medical-equipment lender review takes for granted. The Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) registers medical practitioners; the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) registers nurse practitioners; specialist bodies cover scopes such as dentistry (DCNZ), optometry (ODOB), pharmacy, and allied health. Lenders ask for current registration evidence in the relevant scope alongside the practice indemnity insurance confirmation. Practices operating across multiple scopes commonly include registration evidence for each principal in the file.

Where medical equipment is financed under chattel mortgage and the practice closes before the loan is repaid, the lender typically has a security interest registered on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) and can take possession of the equipment to recover the outstanding balance. Any shortfall between resale value and balance owing typically falls to the borrower and any personal guarantor. Recognisable diagnostic equipment from established manufacturers (GE, Mindray, Philips, Drager, Henry Schein supply) retains identifiable secondary-market value through medical-equipment dealers and refurbishers. Bespoke or specialist equipment commonly has a thinner resale market. Lenders commonly work with practices to restructure repayments before resorting to repossession.

New-graduate first-practice principals face a tighter approval profile than established practices because historical trading data does not exist. DLL Group operates branded medical and dental finance programmes in NZ that publish reduced-documentation pathways for first-time principals (the Dentec dental pathway publishes terms up to $500,000 with no historical financial statements requirement). Speirs Finance Healthcare publishes flexibility for first-time principals supported by practitioner registration evidence and personal guarantee. The bank tier typically engages once 12 to 24 months of practice trading data is available. Practitioner registration evidence and indemnity insurance are non-negotiable across all pathways.

Yes. Established medical practices with 24 to 36 months of clean trading data commonly refinance medical-equipment finance from specialist or vendor-finance pricing into bank-tier medical-finance team pricing, particularly where the relationship is being consolidated under a single banking provider alongside working-capital and property facilities. Refinancing is also commonly used to consolidate multiple equipment loans (diagnostic chattel mortgage, ultrasound finance, IT finance) into a single facility, or to release equity to fund a theatre fitout or imaging-suite expansion. Early-repayment fees on the original loans and the practitioner registration and indemnity status are the main considerations.

Some lenders ask for evidence of an ongoing manufacturer service contract on financed ultrasound, anaesthetic machines, ventilators, and imaging assets, particularly at the larger theatre-kit and imaging-suite end. The service contract supports calibration and (where applicable) MedSafe device-class compliance and helps preserve the lender's security position by maintaining the asset's resale value. Bank medical-finance teams commonly require service-contract evidence on CT and MRI scanners as a condition of facility drawdown. Stand-alone diagnostic chattel mortgages typically do not require a separate service contract.

Yes. Class B autoclaves (Melag, W&H, Tuttnauer) and washer-disinfectors are commonly financed alongside the main diagnostic, ultrasound, or theatre kit as part of a bundled chattel mortgage, with autoclaves typically sitting at $10,000 to $35,000 and washer-disinfectors at $15,000 to $55,000. Sterilisation equipment is a clinical-compliance asset class for any practice running invasive procedures (dental, day-surgical, certain specialist scopes) and is commonly required as part of the practice setup or expansion finance. Heartland Bank, UDC Finance, and Speirs Finance Healthcare commonly fund this alongside the main equipment finance.