Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Te Arataura chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan break ground on the new medical school building site. Photo / Stephen Barker, Barker Photography
Construction of New Zealand’s third medical school officially started on Friday, as the University of Waikato broke ground for the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine.
The sod-turning ceremony for the more-than-$230 million project was attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Health Simeon Brown, Minister for Universities Dr Shane Reti, Waikato MPs, Director-General of Health Audrey Sonerson, Hamilton city councillors, representatives from Waikato-Tainui and local business leaders.
The New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine, set to open in 2028, will be the country’s first graduate-entry medical school and follow the model of medical schools in Australia, Canada and the US.
Under the four-year programme, students will study for a year at the campus in Hamilton then do three years of clinical placements in regional and rural communities nationwide.
University of Waikato vice-chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said at the ceremony the school’s commitment to regional communities made it special.
He said its “defining features” included “its commitment to regional community engagement, a medical curriculum that maximises regional and primary care clinical experience, exclusive use of graduate entry pathways and selection criteria for the students that are tightly linked to the workforce outcomes that we are trying to achieve”.
He said the idea for a medical school based in Waikato predated his “interest in the issue” and even the university’s founding in 1964, so the ground-breaking was a “momentous occasion”.
Luxon said it was “an incredibly significant step” for the University of Waikato and a “proud and exciting moment” for those who championed the project.
“It’s gonna be quite a unique medical school, because apart from it being the first in the region, it will be a strong focus on producing doctors with skills and commitment to work in primary care in rural areas.”
Luxon said he was excited about the graduate-entry programme now being available in New Zealand, after he had seen the model operate “very effectively” in Australia and the US.
Brown called the event a major milestone for Waikato and “primary healthcare in New Zealand”.
“This new medical school will train an additional 120 doctors every single year from 2028.
“This is a transformative lift in our ability to grow our own workforce and ensure more New Zealand-trained doctors are ready to serve where they are needed the most.”
Brown said backing the development through Cabinet was “an incredibly easy decision”.
“If we were Australia … we would be opening our fifth [medical school] today and be talking about opening our sixth."
Reti said the school would “change the landscape of medical education in New Zealand”.
“This is a strong example of how universities are aligning student skills with the needs of our country.”
On Thursday, the University of Waikato signed a partnership with the University of Canterbury, whereby Waikato will reserve places for Canterbury students.
The universities would also commit to working together on research and expand opportunities for student placements in the South Island.
It has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Wollongong in Australia to collaborate on curriculum development.
The medical school will take a “digital-first” approach and have digital anatomy labs, VR-enabled case study rooms, clinical skills practice areas and hospital-standard simulation wards.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in any field of study will be eligible to apply.
Applicants will need to pass a standard medical admissions test that evaluates their background knowledge of science and written communication.
In July, the Government approved the business case for the new school and committed $82.85 million to its establishment, alongside more than $150 million from the University of Waikato and philanthropic partners.
Foster Construction has been appointed to lead construction of the four-storey teaching and learning building, which has been designed by architects Chow Hill.
Construction of the building is expected to be completed in December 2027.
University of Waikato chancellor Susan Hassall said the ground-breaking was the day the vision of the school “finally” became reality.
“The pressure on our rural communities is intolerable and this will make such a … difference.
“We do this not just for those who are here today, but for those who will follow us … it’s the lives of the people of the future of New Zealand that we make better today.”
She said at the heart of the project was “love”.
“Today we celebrate because we care. And we care because we love this world that we are part of.”
New Zealand’s other medical schools are in Auckland and Otago.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.