Momentum builds for Waikato med school funding

Wednesday, 19 July 2023

A major regional fundraiser has stepped up to ensure Waikato University has the money it needs to get a proposed medical school up and running.

Momentum Waikato has partnered with the university and are confident they can garner the support of philanthropists near and far if the proposal is implemented after this year’s general election.

National leader Christopher Luxon confirmed the party’s support of the school earlier this month, should they get into Government on October 14.

Luxon pledged the Government would fund $280m of the school with the university committing to the remaining $100m

Momentum Waikato Chief Executive Kelvyn Eglinton said the organisation exists to support and deliver projects that create transformational and intergenerational change for communities.

Momentum has already successfully generated funding to build the Waikato Regional Theatre and Hamilton Gardens.

“When we look at needs and we look at the regional scale like the theatre…This one clearly fits there because we know there is a massive need there to connect our health services across our region.”

Eglinton said they will seek funding from philanthropic donors both nationally and internationally.

“We’ve raised $80m for the theatre, we’ve done work for the Hamilton Gardens, we’ve raised $5m through philanthropy. So this is just using those networks but also working with all of our foundations across the country.”

Eglinton acknowledged the medical school’s reach right across the Waikato to Bay of Plenty, as well as Taranaki, would help connect into those networks of philanthropy.

“We have been working in the communities now and the data shows that health and well-being services for our region is one of the top priorities. So this is a great way of investing over time and being a significant partner in the University.”

This will be the organisation’s biggest fundraising project but Eglinton is confident that $100m is within their capabilities.

“Especially partnering with the university, we will come together and put a plan together that includes our database, the alumni and database of the university.”

He said they do have to be mindful of the capacity of philanthropy in the community, but believes that is the beauty of being able to reach beyond the Waikato region for this project.

“There’s also parts of the Waikato region who will see the benefits that we haven’t tapped into, even to the point where we contact our Waikato alumni international in the UK.

“We know that in developing capital fundraising in philanthropy, coming together and using your partners is much more effective than trying to work as individuals.”

“It’s a big target and $100m is not to be sneezed at. But in five years we can achieve the $80m target across the region and we believe that we can do that in the same time frame, we have a wider sphere of audience being outside of the Waikato.”

Eglinton said with the increase in the cost of living affecting everyone - he acknowledges that philanthropists do pick and choose when times are tough.

“We think the medical school and the rationale behind what is needed and the demand and the lack of service currently it’s something people will get behind.

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor, Professor Neil Quigley said there is already widespread stakeholder support to deliver a Graduate Medical School at the university.

“Momentum’s support, their networks and the access they will provide to significant philanthropic funding streams can only strengthen our proposal further.”

He said the partnership is important in that it reflects the fact a medical school will be a regional and national project as well as a university project, and the partnership with Momentum really captures that.

“Because what we are proposing will have so much benefit for so many communities outside Hamilton as well as Hamilton itself then there is a lot of scope hopefully to raise funds across a wide geographic area.”

Quigley said it is a large target but they don’t need to raise it by the end of the year.

“It’s probably going to be a five year journey to raise that amount of money. Because the funding we need for medical school will ramp up over time.”

The first full cohort will go through the med school in 2030, with 120 students who already have a bachelor’s degree receiving four years of intensive training aimed at those who are committed to primary health care outside the main centres.