* Extra $224 million over four years for mental health services, with new programmes to be trialled.

* Disability support funding boosted, including home-based support.

* Low income women to get free long-acting contraceptives.

An extra $879 million will be pumped into health in the coming year to help cope with a growing and aging population - with mental health getting a boost after becoming a key election year issue.

Health investment will hit a record $16.77 billion in 2017/18, with an extra $3.9 billion allocated over four years.

That includes money to continue the roll-out of the bowel screening programme, a funding increase for disability support services.

• Mental health

An extra $224 million over four years has been set aside for mental health services, through the social investment package.

About $25 million a year will go on new "innovative" proposals to tackle mental health issues.

Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said Cabinet would soon consider a new mental health and addiction strategy.

"This funding will support the implementation of the strategy and will provide greater flexibility to invest in new and innovative approaches."

• District Health Board funding

Coleman said the extra $879 million invested in health next year is the biggest increase in 11 years.

"DHBs will benefit from an extra $1.76 billion over four years to invest in services, improve access, and to meet cost pressures and population growth."

• Disability support

Budget 2017 includes an extra $205.4 million over four years for disability support services used by about 32,000 Kiwis every year.

Community-based home support, personal care, caregiver support, residential care and equipment services will get an extra $178.2 million over four years, and the Enabling Good Lives programme, running in Waikato and Christchurch, will be expanded with $27.1 million over three years.

• Contraceptives for low-income women

Funding of $17.5 million over four years through the "social investment" package will increase contraceptive access for low-income women aged 15-44 years. Free consultations will be provided to women in poor areas, including "free insertion and removal of long acting reversible contraceptives".

• Bowel-screening programme

The Government's bowel-screening programme will start in Wairarapa and Hutt Valley DHBs in July after funding was announced last year.

New funding of $38.5 million over four years will support a further roll-out to Southern and Counties Manukau DHBs next year.

Opposition parties have focussed on health in election year, saying increases in spending have failed to keep pace with demand increases and record immigration.

Labour says a $1.7 billion gap in health funding has built up since 2010, an estimate based on the increase in Crown expenditure relative to inflation and population growth.

Leader Andrew Little has made mental health a key election issue, announcing policy to put dedicated mental health teams into GP clinics in eight centres around the country at a cost of $43 million.

The Budget includes already announced spending such as a $60m boost to Pharmac to allow greater access to medicines, and $59.2m towards emergency services to allow all road ambulance call-outs to be double-crewed.

A further $1.54 billion is set aside for wage increases for 55,000 care and disability support workers as part of the pay equity settlement that came from court action by Kristine Bartlett.