The Prime Minister has confirmed a Waikato medical school's coming, with construction beginning this year.
The Government's putting $83 million towards the $230-million-dollar project, with the rest coming from Waikato University and philanthropic investors.
It'll offer a graduate-entry programme, focused on primary care and rural health.
Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the ACT Party quickly released a statement taking credit for driving down the price of the project.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Verry Soper Political Senior Political correspondence with us HI Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good afternoon, heado.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
So the Waikato Medical School Are you loving this?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Well?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
We talked about it last year or sorry, in the
lead up to the election in twenty twenty three, didn't we.
They were then saying it was going to cost the
taxpayer about two hundred and eighty odd million dollars to
set it up. Well, the taxpayer is stumping up only
eighty million dollars. The rest is coming from the Waikata
University and philanthropists. But the thing that interested me is
(00:34):
Soon as Chris Luxon and samm Brown were at the
podium announcing this New Medical School Act, was putting out
a statement claiming credit for driving down the price. I mean,
why can't they just pull back a bit and allow
the government, if it wants to take credit for this,
take credit for it as a collective. But no, David
(00:57):
Seymour was there saying it's acts rigorous, questioning they help
to ensure more efficient investment and key, we's got a
bit of deal out of it. Well, Chris Likeson says
the creation of the new medical schools essential for coping
with our aging population.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
We've got anyway from two to three hundred, one hundred
and fifty students from New Zealand studying in Australian universities
doing medicine. And once they go there and they do
their studies there, yes, so some of them will come back,
but not all of them. And so the actual opportunity
about creating more spaces and opening up more spaces for
medical students. We've been trying to do that, like expanding
places obviously in Otago and also in Auckland. But obviously
(01:32):
this is quite a big lead forward as we put
another one hundred and twenty slots into training each year.
And if you're going to have a rising population, you've
got one medical school for two point six million people.
We look at Australia, one medical school for every one
point two million in Australians. You know, we need to
be able to start to move in that place and
make this investment.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So that's a reasonable argument, I think, And you know,
twenty twenty eight that's when it's meant to start. I'll
start producing students in twenty and thirty two. But the
thing is or doctor, sorry it is the first in
take twenty eight. Yeah, but The thing is, how do
you tell a person that's graduated medical school to stay
in the region. And I don't know are they going
(02:10):
to bond them? They weren't asked at the news conference.
I would have liked to have known that. So how
do they keep them in the area. They say they're
drawing them in from the Waikato region, but I don't
know how they're going to ensure that they stay there
once they graduate.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Fair question, Yeah, what do you make of the NCAA changes.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Well, I think they have to come, don't they. I mean,
nca it's been a dog ever since it was introduced
by the then Education Minister TRAVL. Mallard back in two
thousand and two, and it really they sold it on
the key being flexibility and it essentially allows and we
(02:51):
saw one of our lovely producers out there saying today
that he got mathematics credits through doing geography from his geography,
cross credit geography and then get enough credits in mathematics.
And that's how the system is wrought by schemes like
(03:11):
that and jacking up sums so that they get the
right credits. Why don't they just go back to what
we used to have school certificate, university entrance. And I
know it sound like an old fogy going on about it,
but at least it was a national standard.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
This isn't.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
This is so varied in how it applies to me,
it just doesn't make it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I always think that if you see parents starting to
avoid something, then you must acknowledge there's a problem with it.
And parents are going out of their way to avoid
this and to go for ib and Cambridge, So you
know that's right. But still, regardless of the fact that
you and I might think it's a slam dunk, it
is a really brave thing for Eric Stanford to do
to overhaul something as significant as this.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Right, well, you know governments, as we said at the
outset of this, they've done it before. They can do it.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Again absolutely all right now, I can't quite understand who
are these councils and government departments paying good money to
set up what is it Maldi language apps or something.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yes they are, and I can tell you who's wasting
the money go on then this is through the Taxpayers Union.
I'm inquired of them today. Acc they've spent thirty eight
thousand dollars on getting an app that's already available through
a nationalized system, the Ministry for Primary Industries MB, the
Ministry of Business, the Ministry of Social Development. As if
(04:33):
they can afford to spend money, willing lily, will they
spend forty three and a half thousand dollars developing an app.
But if you're worried about your rates being high, and
if you live in Taronga, then may spend seventy five
thousand dollars in getting their own cultural app. And do
you know how many times it was downloaded? Just over
(04:54):
two thousand, So that's about thirty four dollars for each
time it's unloaded. The way Cato Regional Council they also
spent thirty four thousand dollars on it. Now this is
available nationally through the Maori Language Commission, so you can
have you can adopt that app and save yourself the
(05:15):
travel of spending all this money, much of it taxpas.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I mean it's not beating up. It's not beating
up on the fact that it is a Maori language app, right,
it is beating up on the fact that if these
things are already really available, why are you spending money
duplicating precisely, Yeah, Barry, thanks very much. Barry Soper, Senior
Political corresponding.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For more from Hither Duplicy Allan Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
Verry Soper Political Senior Political correspondence with us HI Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good afternoon, heado.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
So the Waikato Medical School Are you loving this?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Well?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
We talked about it last year or sorry, in the
lead up to the election in twenty twenty three, didn't we.
They were then saying it was going to cost the
taxpayer about two hundred and eighty odd million dollars to
set it up. Well, the taxpayer is stumping up only
eighty million dollars. The rest is coming from the Waikata
University and philanthropists. But the thing that interested me is
(00:34):
Soon as Chris Luxon and samm Brown were at the
podium announcing this New Medical School Act, was putting out
a statement claiming credit for driving down the price. I mean,
why can't they just pull back a bit and allow
the government, if it wants to take credit for this,
take credit for it as a collective. But no, David
(00:57):
Seymour was there saying it's acts rigorous, questioning they help
to ensure more efficient investment and key, we's got a
bit of deal out of it. Well, Chris Likeson says
the creation of the new medical schools essential for coping
with our aging population.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
We've got anyway from two to three hundred, one hundred
and fifty students from New Zealand studying in Australian universities
doing medicine. And once they go there and they do
their studies there, yes, so some of them will come back,
but not all of them. And so the actual opportunity
about creating more spaces and opening up more spaces for
medical students. We've been trying to do that, like expanding
places obviously in Otago and also in Auckland. But obviously
(01:32):
this is quite a big lead forward as we put
another one hundred and twenty slots into training each year.
And if you're going to have a rising population, you've
got one medical school for two point six million people.
We look at Australia, one medical school for every one
point two million in Australians. You know, we need to
be able to start to move in that place and
make this investment.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So that's a reasonable argument, I think, And you know,
twenty twenty eight that's when it's meant to start. I'll
start producing students in twenty and thirty two. But the
thing is or doctor, sorry it is the first in
take twenty eight. Yeah, but The thing is, how do
you tell a person that's graduated medical school to stay
in the region. And I don't know are they going
(02:10):
to bond them? They weren't asked at the news conference.
I would have liked to have known that. So how
do they keep them in the area. They say they're
drawing them in from the Waikato region, but I don't
know how they're going to ensure that they stay there
once they graduate.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Fair question, Yeah, what do you make of the NCAA changes.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Well, I think they have to come, don't they. I mean,
nca it's been a dog ever since it was introduced
by the then Education Minister TRAVL. Mallard back in two
thousand and two, and it really they sold it on
the key being flexibility and it essentially allows and we
(02:51):
saw one of our lovely producers out there saying today
that he got mathematics credits through doing geography from his geography,
cross credit geography and then get enough credits in mathematics.
And that's how the system is wrought by schemes like
(03:11):
that and jacking up sums so that they get the
right credits. Why don't they just go back to what
we used to have school certificate, university entrance. And I
know it sound like an old fogy going on about it,
but at least it was a national standard.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
This isn't.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
This is so varied in how it applies to me,
it just doesn't make it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I always think that if you see parents starting to
avoid something, then you must acknowledge there's a problem with it.
And parents are going out of their way to avoid
this and to go for ib and Cambridge, So you
know that's right. But still, regardless of the fact that
you and I might think it's a slam dunk, it
is a really brave thing for Eric Stanford to do
to overhaul something as significant as this.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Right, well, you know governments, as we said at the
outset of this, they've done it before. They can do it.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Again absolutely all right now, I can't quite understand who
are these councils and government departments paying good money to
set up what is it Maldi language apps or something.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yes they are, and I can tell you who's wasting
the money go on then this is through the Taxpayers Union.
I'm inquired of them today. Acc they've spent thirty eight
thousand dollars on getting an app that's already available through
a nationalized system, the Ministry for Primary Industries MB, the
Ministry of Business, the Ministry of Social Development. As if
(04:33):
they can afford to spend money, willing lily, will they
spend forty three and a half thousand dollars developing an app.
But if you're worried about your rates being high, and
if you live in Taronga, then may spend seventy five
thousand dollars in getting their own cultural app. And do
you know how many times it was downloaded? Just over
(04:54):
two thousand, So that's about thirty four dollars for each
time it's unloaded. The way Cato Regional Council they also
spent thirty four thousand dollars on it. Now this is
available nationally through the Maori Language Commission, so you can
have you can adopt that app and save yourself the
(05:15):
travel of spending all this money, much of it taxpas.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I mean it's not beating up. It's not beating
up on the fact that it is a Maori language app, right,
it is beating up on the fact that if these
things are already really available, why are you spending money
duplicating precisely, Yeah, Barry, thanks very much. Barry Soper, Senior
Political corresponding.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
For more from Hither Duplicy Allan Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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