Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown has confirmed the five regions selected nationally for the programme
The Western Bay of Plenty has been confirmed as a clinical placement location for the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine (NZGSM), after the success of the Te Moana a Toi Partnership Proposal, coordinated by Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation (WBOP PHO) in collaboration with iwi and primary care partners across the region. This follows today’s announcement naming the Bay of Plenty as one of five regions selected nationally for the programme.
The locations were confirmed by Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown, with the first clinical placements starting in 2029. In the wider Bay of Plenty, students will undertake primary care placements across Western Bay of Plenty and Rotorua communities, with secondary care experience at Tauranga Hospital. Central to the programme is the creation of Community Clinical Learning Centres (CCLCs) in each region, serving as The University of Waikato teaching facilities. Further details on these will be available in the coming months.
Sarah Stevenson, Chief Executive of WBOP PHO, says the result is a milestone for the region. “This is a proud moment for the Bay of Plenty and for all the partners who came together to make this proposal possible. We have long known what our communities need. Doctors who call this region home, who understand the diversity and complexity of our region and who will stay. Today’s announcement is a significant step toward making that a reality.”
A collective achievement for Te Moana a Toi
The proposal was the result of months of preparation, including hui with general practices across the rohe to hear their perspectives, and drew on partnerships built across the rohe over many years. It was developed in collaboration with five partners, collectively supporting primary health services for approximately 240,000 enrolled patients across 47+ general practices. Partners include:
- Ngāi Te Rangi
- Ngāti Ranginui
- Ngāti Awa, through Te Tohu o te Ora o Ngāti Awa
- Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation
- Ngā Mataapuna Oranga
- Toi Manawa Alliance (previously Eastern Bay Primary Health Alliance)
Stevenson says the collective nature of the proposal is its greatest strength. “The relationships between PHOs, iwi and community providers across Te Moana a Toi are what makes this region special, and it is those same relationships that will make this medical training model work.”
About the NZGSM
The NZGSM is a new graduate-entry medical school established in partnership with The University of Waikato, the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, designed to address the critical shortage of doctors in primary care and regional communities across Aotearoa. The school will welcome its first cohort of 120 students in 2028, who will complete their first year at the University of Waikato Hamilton campus before moving into a three-year clinical placement programme, including in local general practices, across one of the five regions, including the Bay of Plenty.
