Waikato towns to benefit from trainee docs

Saturday, 16 May 2026

The main medical building is under construction at the University of Waikato’s Hamilton campus

Waikato’s smaller towns are set to benefit from an influx of student doctors with at least four training hubs as part of a $20 million network of “satellite campuses”.

Tokoroa, Te Kūiti, Thames and Taupō all seem set to become homes for students completing on-location placements through the University of Waikato’s New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine.

Despite some Government funding for the medical school — the first to open in New Zealand for nearly 60 years — the community clinical learning centres are among the items the university must bankroll for itself.

University vice-chancellor Neil Quigley shed light on the centres while pitching to Waikato Regional Council this week about a potential funding partnership.

He cited Tokoroa, Te Kūiti, Thames and Taupō as locations for the learning centres, although the University later said this was yet to be confirmed.

Construction is underway at Waikato University's medical school teaching and learning building in Hamilton

Quigley emphasised the community benefits of such facilities. Students would contribute to local economies, see patients in a training capacity, and crucially, were more likely to settle in the communities where they trained, especially as the medical school would target an older demographic than other medical schools.

The presentation to the Regional Growth and Resilience Committee also revealed new details about the costs associated with the medical school, set to open in 2028.

“Once the medical school is fully established, it will be self-sustaining, there’s no concern about that. The combination of Government funding and tuition fees for medical students is fully sufficient to cover the costs of the programme once it’s up and running,” Quigley said.

“The only challenge is getting from today to the point where we have the programme fully established. That is where we’re hoping that organisations in the communities through the central North Island, and obviously organisations like the Waikato Regional Council, can provide us with some assistance just to get started.”

The university was not seeking medium-term support, and had substantial capacity to invest, but it did need to find almost $150 million over the next five or six years, he said.

The total price tag for the long-awaited project is $231.8 million, including an $82.9 million contribution from the Government.

Of this, $59 million will go towards the on-campus facilities, and the remaining $23.9 million will be used to increase the health system’s clinical placement capacity.

The university must fund the remaining $148.9 million, and partnerships and philanthropy were “very much appreciated” in pursuit of this target, Quigley said.

The medical school particularly aimed to boost the number of GPs in rural areas, and one of the remaining expenses was $19.8 million for community clinical learning centres, smaller satellite campuses to support students in towns of up to 50,000 people.

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley.

The number nationwide would be decided by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ), but about four or five would be in the Waikato region, the presentation documents said.

These each required $2 million, and were an opportunity for partnership with the university — as was the associated regional student accommodation.

The number of centres nationwide would be decided by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ), but about four or five would be in the Waikato, the presentation said.

They would cost $2 million each, and were an opportunity for partnership with the university — as was the associated regional student accommodation, also set to cost $2 million each.

There would be 10 students per cohort per year per facility, Quigley said.

The committee was encouraging, but made no commitments, and will consider the idea as part of its upcoming 2027-2037 Long Term Plan process.

Other costs detailed in the document include $114 million for new teaching facilities, $30.3 million for science laboratory refurbishment, $20 million for curriculum development, and $23.8 million for accommodation.

Quizzed about the capital raised so far, Quigley did not provide specifics, but said the focus had been on the medical building for the main Hamilton campus.

“I’m talking millions, rather than tens of millions, but nonetheless we do have support for that project.”

Under the Government’s plans for major local government reforms, regional councils are set to be disbanded before the next local government elections in October 2028.

Asked by the Waikato Times if this was an issue for possible funding partnerships, a spokesperson said details of the reform were yet to be confirmed.

“The University of Waikato will continue to build relationships and work with the leaders of the entities currently in place.”

The university was also asked if Tokoroa, Te Kūiti, Thames and Taupō were confirmed as training locations.

“The process for confirming the locations for community clinical learning centres is still ongoing and no final decisions have been made,” a spokesperson said.