Rural practices will benefit from new Waikato medical school
Photo:
Supplied
The announcement of a new medical school at the University of Waikato has been welcomed by local business, community, and medical leaders.
The government confirmed yesterday it will fund
$82.5 million of the school
, with the university paying the remaining $150 million, backed by philanthropists.
Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good said he had no concerns about the university being able to secure the money needed to get the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine off the ground.
"There are some very wealthy families in the Waikato that you probably have never heard of, and they are very community-minded," he said.
Good said people who make money in the Waikato put it back into the region.
While he spoke warmly about people in Waikato, he was not so impressed with some of the actions of those outside the region.
He said there had been a long-running campaign against a Waikato medical school by the existing medical schools in Auckland and Otago.
But the Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences in Auckland Professor Warwick Bagg told
Morning Report
that while the university put forward its case against a third school, it was pleased that the government had invested so heavily in medical student training.
"If you are a patient waiting to see a doctor you are going to be pleased that in the years to come we will have more locally trained doctors to see, I think that's really good news," he said.
An artist's impression of the new Division of Health Precinct at the University of Waikato, which will be home to the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine.
Photo:
Supplied
Kawhia is a small coastal settlement west of Ōtorohanga, where John Burton has been a local GP for 33 years.
He said he was thrilled the new medical school was happening and he wished it had happened 20 years ago.
Dr Burton has trained many student doctors over the years and said he enjoyed it.
But he said rural practices currently spent a lot of time training the wrong people and he was looking forward to students who were not coming from the big cities.
"We have a lot of medical students come here, down from Auckland, and they all say they love it, it's wonderful experience, but for the majority of them they're Aucklanders and this is a foreign world for them and although it's a lovely adventure, it's not what they're going to end up doing."
Rural Health Network chair Dr Fiona Bolden said students from rural areas who trained rurally were six times more likely to work as a rural doctor.
Down the country a bit from Kawhia, Waitomo mayor John Robertson said a Waikato-based medical school was a positive announcement for young people in his town.
He said proximity to training opportunities was important.
"The fact that it's so close is an advantage, and for some students they can live in the area, get a bus up to Hamilton each day," he said.
A University of Waikato spokesperson told RNZ the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine would be located within a new Division of Health precinct.
Detailed designs were underway and work was expected to start later this year after the main contract had been awarded and the building consent had been received.
The university said it also had plans for dedicated student accommodation next to the Health Precinct for medical school students.
The first students are expected to be welcomed in 2028.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Birds In Auckland Study Sang Fewer, Simpler Songs After Disturbed Sleep
Birds that missed out on sleep changed the way they communicated in a study by scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. The research, led by Dr Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi, of the School of Biological Sciences, found that common mynas sang fewer and simpler songs after a single night of disturbed sleep. Their calls also changed in pitch and duration – the sounds were longer and lower – potentially affecting how they interact socially. 'We've all had days where we feel flat and unmotivated after a rough night,' says Mussoi. 'What we're seeing is that birds have those days too.' Bird vocalisations serve a range of purposes, from attracting mates to warning of danger and maintaining group cohesion. Producing these sounds requires precise timing and coordination between the brain, lungs and throat muscles. For birds of many species, a poor-quality song could be a threat to reproduction and survival. The researchers tested the mynas after different types of sleep disruption: a full night, the first half of the night, or the second half. All types affected the birds' behaviour the next day, though a full night of disruption had the strongest impact. 'We also noticed the birds rested more during the day, suggesting they were trying to recover' says Mussoi. She cautioned this was the first study of how sleep disruption affected birdsong complexity, with more studies needed for firm conclusions. While common mynas are highly adaptable and thrive in urban settings, the findings raise concerns about native species that may be more vulnerable to ongoing light and noise pollution. 'This research shows that even short-term sleep loss changes how birds communicate,' Mussoi says. 'In cities, these disruptions aren't rare. They're constant.' Mussoi conducted the research for her PhD and has since become a lecturer at the University of Waikato. Associate Professor Kristal Cain and Professor Margaret Stanley were also part of the study. The project had one other outcome: Mussoi's sixth bird tattoo to commemorate a research project. The picture of mynas adds to images representing studies of Australian magpies (sleep deprivation), pīwakawaka or fantails (song and reproductive success), budgies (visual acuity), great tits (cognition and problem solving) and Southern Lapwings (effects of human presence on behaviour). Where did she get her great interest in birds? 'I grew up in a small city in southern Brazil, and as a child, I spent nearly every day at my grandmother's farm,' she says. 'I'd spend hours with the animals, playing with frogs and watching birds – that's where my love for birds began.' Later, at university, she discovered the incredible diversity of bird species and was captivated by their behaviours, especially the colours and elaborate courtship dances of Birds-of-paradise. 'That mix of early experiences and scientific curiosity is what keeps me so fascinated by birds.' Learn more about the use of animals in research and teaching at the University of Auckland
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
ED doctor on St John plan to axe volunteers
health employment 19 minutes ago An emergency doctor says there will be serious consequences for patient care if St John goes ahead with a plan to get rid of volunteers in hospital EDs. Hutt Hospital ED doctor Dr Tanya Wilton spoke to Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Advertising unapproved medicines not legal, despite government claim
In a statement, Minister for Regulation David Seymour said the restriction on advertising new medicines at medical conferences "is being removed". Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Despite a government announcement suggesting it has lifted the ban on advertising unapproved medicines, it remains a criminal offence, warn legal experts. In a joint media release with Health Minister Simeon Brown, Minister for Regulation David Seymour welcomed "confirmation" of two major medical conferences in New Zealand next year, following the rule change to allow advertising of unapproved medicines at trade shows. The Ministry for Regulation had found the "overly cautious approach" was out of step with other recognised jurisdictions, and the government "acted fast to fix it", Seymour said. However, leading intellectual property lawyer Paul Johns - head of litigation for Pearce IP - cautioned the law had not yet changed. "If I were the organiser of these conferences and had seen those media releases, I would be making sure that my sponsors were aware that in fact the law has not changed and any medicines they want to advertise ought to be approved, because the consequences are criminal - there are fines and even imprisonment. "I don't think you would get that far, but they're there." Parliament was currently considering some amendments to the Medicines Act (to enable faster approval of drugs and widen powers for nurse prescribers) but there was nothing to do with advertising, he said. "It's still possible that the government could submit an amendment paper and put this advertising thing in there as well, but they haven't. So they appear to have a policy but they've done nothing about it in terms of legislation." The "great irony" was that under the Therapeutic Products Act - which was repealed by the current administration - the government could have simply introduced new regulations allowing such advertising, Johns noted. "But now they need to amend the Medicines Act." Others have pointed out that medical conferences were planned years in advance, so the new policy could not have been the deciding factor for next year's bookings. In a written response to RNZ's questions, Minister Seymour said the restriction on advertising new medicines at medical conferences "is being removed". "Ending New Zealand's prohibition on advertising medicines at medical conferences and trade shows has sent a message that New Zealand is open for business. That's exactly what medical conference organisers needed to hear, with two already confirmed for 2026." Medicines New Zealand chief executive Dr Graeme Jarvis said New Zealand had been missing out on conferences worth up to $90 million a year because it was impossible to run trade shows alongside them. "So you're actually losing out on not only the income you would get from running the conference and trade show here, but also the tourism spend as well." Clinicians had also been missing out. "Doctors here aren't getting exposed to all of the latest and greatest in terms of conferences, scientific exchange, the information and updates on all sorts of things." However, Auckland University associate professor of psychological medicine David Menkes said it was "misleading" to suggest doctors did not already have access to the latest information about new treatments. "But usually that information comes not from a company rep, it will come from an expert who's presenting as a colleague, rather than as an exhibitor or a sponsor of a conference." The academic psychiatrist said doctors liked to "believe they can't be swayed by corporate largesse" - but studies showed they were not immune. "That's why academic journals require peer review and disclosure of interests." Menkes is a long-time critic of New Zealand's permissive marketing regime : it is the only OECD country - apart from the United States - to allow direct-to-consumer advertising of medicines. Further loosening of the rules could compound the risk of over-prescribing, he said. "You don't want to be held up by red tape and bureaucracy, right? But you also want to have checks and balances in place. "I'm afraid this new policy doesn't have adequate checks and balances against overt promotional behaviour by vested interests." Seymour's office was unable to say when the government was planning to turn the policy into something Parliament could consider.
