Simeon Brown: Health Minister on the new Waikato University medical school

Construction will begin this year on a new medical school at Waikato University.  

The Government's chipping in $83 million, alongside $150 million from the University and philanthropic investors. 

It'll have a strong focus on primary care and rural health and offer a graduate-entry programme. 

Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they’ve gone through a rigorous process to ensure it’s as efficient and cost-effective as possible, so they can build the long-term pipeline that New Zealand needs. 

The postgraduate course element is already a successful model in Australia, he says. 

Brown told Hosking that it's about attracting people who are already living in rural communities, giving them opportunities to train and stay in place so we can attract and retain graduates.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back to the medical school. There are a few questions
yesterday about the movement of funding figures. We as in
the taxpayer on the hook for eighty two million dollars.
Originally the government initially pledged two hundred and eighty million dollars.
Simming and Browns, the Health Ministrani is with us on
this morning to you morning, Mike. Were you surprised yesterday
as you stood there next to mister Luxon and the
theatretha of the sort of the question line and the

(00:21):
intensity of the question line and the sort of the
myopic nature of the question line you were getting or is.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
That just me Well, from my perspective, I think a
number of the questions missed the fact that this is
quite a historic decision for New Zealand. Having a third
medical school, breaking up a dyopoly and being able to
increase the number of doctors going into rural medicine and
GP training is really important. So this is a huge decision.
We're very proud of it. We campaign in it, and

(00:46):
we're delivering it, and we're very focused now of working
alongside all of our medical schools to make sure that
they're providing that future doctor pathways that New Zealand needs
for our healthcare system.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Part of the weirdness was the fact I'm in with
eighty two and they come up with one p fifty
and that's less than the two to eighty and so
what you've done is look at something and done at
more cost effectively. And that seemed to be a problem
as well, which surprised me. Do we not like that?

Speaker 2 (01:12):
I mean, well, we're reducing there's less money being spent
by taxpayers, there's more being contributed by the university and
also by the philanthropic supporters of that university. Our focus
now is on delivering this institution. But look, but some
of those people you know who are looking at the
cost quite intently forgetting You know, this is a significant

(01:35):
increase in doctor training place over a long period of time.
This is a small amount of capital going into making
sure we can train one hundred and twenty doctors per
year over the long term. It's a long term decision
that we've made about securing the future of medical training
in New Zealand. And this is a small contribution of
capital money, and yes it's tax payers money, we respect that,
but we've gone through a rigorous process to make sure

(01:56):
that's as efficient and cost effective as possible that we
can get that long term pipeline that New Zealanders need.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
The post grad thing, you know, the four year course.
Is it going to be a problem in terms of
having people line up in that way as opposed to
what Auckland and the Targo did well.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
I think this is the exciting part of this new
school is it's a different model for training doctors. So
instead of people starting and doing the first year health
sciences and then going through another five years at medical school,
these people will have already graduated in another area. They
may well have experience they are in terms of being

(02:33):
a nurse, or being or a paramedic. They may well
have a range of experiences and they'll be bringing that
to this degree and then going back into their community
and being a doctor. And so it's about actually, how
do we attract people who are already living in rural communities,
living in regional New Zealanders New Zealand giving them opportunities
to then train in place and stay in place so

(02:54):
we can attract and retain those graduates. And that's what
they do in Australia. It's a successful model. We're bringing
that model to New Zealand. We're doing things differently because
we need to. We need to make sure we're attracting
and retaining our medical staff over a long period of time.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
We had quickly on earlier on and he used the
same line you're using. I'm not convinced. I want you
to be right, but I'm not convinced a graduate will
go where a graduate will go. They might tell you
they want to go back home to the farm, or
they might tell you they want to stay in New Zealand,
but they'll do what they want to do. Well.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
The research out out of Queensland indicates a much higher
number of graduates will stay back where they're from, So
you get a lot higher numbers staying in there's more
regional communities if that's the model that you're using. And
also it's about the candidates selection as well, so the
candidate selection becomes really important. Make sure you're attracting people

(03:48):
who are already demonstrating a commitment to those communities, providing
them there and I train in those communities much more,
much higher chance than then staying there. That's we have
to do things differently on this MIC, and that's why
this model is being supported by this government because we
have to do things differently to attract and retain medical
staff over a long period of time.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Are they going to run a model where if you're
of a certain race you get in more easily, like
a tigo in Auckland.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Look, the focus here is on attracting and retaining people
from those more rural communities regional New Zealand. They will
go through a process where they develop the admission criteria.
But we've been very clear at the same time, this
government is going to be progressing under the Coalition agreement
a review of that MAPS criteria, which is a commitment
in the coalition agreement.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, but the review is not doing anything, it's just
a review. So will they or won't they?

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well, their admission criteria will be developed.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, but if it's developed with a Maori person gets
in on seventy nine percent and everyone else's ninety eight percent,
are you going to do about that or not?

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well? Will We're working obviously with the university. The priority
here is to make sure we're getting people from regional
New Zealand. Now going through.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
This bus, a simple question to men, if the regional
person happens to be Murray, will get in with a
lower score than a non Murray.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
We want we want people who have We want to
make sure it's a fear system.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Is the current system it is, Well, that's.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
Why we're doing a review of it.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
With a view to what fixing it.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Or just look they need to make We need to
part of the coalition agreement is to review whether or
not it is supporting people from Mali and Pacific communities
and actually those people are then working in those communities
to improve health outcomes. That's something which we need to
make sure is that actually working is it not? And
then we'll make decisions following that.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
What's your view as you sit here talking to me
this morning, Well.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
I want to make sure that we're giving more New
Zealanders opportunities to train to become doctors in New Zealand.
And that's what today's announcement's all about.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
See I'm left with the text now, Simming, and you
haven't helped me out here. All you're doing is obfuscating
and you have not clearly answered a fairly simple question.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
As I said, today's about making sure that we are
committing to the long term pipeline doctors. There is a
separate review underway into that, into the MARI and pacifica
admission scheme. We're progressing that as a government. Ultimately that
will then determine the next steps in regards to those policies.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
I appreciate your time as always, assuming you can Brown
the Health Minister with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
Don't have to think thank you. I just like this Jesus.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
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