Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com
The Government has confirmed the regions that will host clinical training for the University of Waikato’s new medical school from 2028, marking what ministers describe as a major step toward rebuilding New Zealand’s regional health workforce.
Health Minister Simeon Brown says the decision represents “a significant milestone in building a stronger, more regionally connected health workforce,” with the new training model designed to place students directly into the communities facing the greatest shortages.
“We know that where doctors train often influences where they practise,” Brown says. “By embedding students in regional and rural communities, we’re creating a pathway for more doctors to stay and work in the areas that need them most.”
The New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine will take 120 graduate‑entry students each year, beginning with a year of on‑campus study in Hamilton before three years of clinical training across five regions:
- Waikato: Waikato Hospital and surrounding communities including North Waikato, Hauraki/Thames‑Coromandel, South Waikato and Waipā/King Country
- Bay of Plenty: Tauranga Hospital and communities including Western Bay of Plenty and Rotorua
- Taranaki/Whanganui: Taranaki Base and Whanganui Hospitals
- Hawke’s Bay: Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, including Hastings and Wairoa
- Nelson/Marlborough: Nelson and Wairau Hospitals, including Richmond and Blenheim
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says the programme is deliberately designed so students — particularly those from rural backgrounds — can complete most of their training close to home.
“Rural communities know that when you train people locally, they’re far more likely to stay local,” Doocey says. “This Government is bringing healthcare closer to home for the one in five New Zealanders who live in rural communities.”
Alongside the new medical school, the Government is establishing a national distributed clinical placement network, developed with the Universities of Waikato, Auckland and Otago. The network will coordinate placements across the country and support the creation of Community Clinical Learning Centres in smaller towns.
Brown says the confirmation of training regions signals a shift toward long‑term workforce rebuilding. “We are focused on fixing the basics and building the future of our homegrown health workforce – delivering the next generation of doctors trained in the communities that need them most.”
