Waikato Medical School cost-benefit analysis

We were engaged to provide a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of a proposed new medical school at Waikato University.

The Ministry of Health and the University of Waikato have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a programme of work related to a new medical school. The Coalition Agreement between the New Zealand National Party and ACT New Zealand noted that a “full cost-benefit analysis must be presented before any binding agreement is made with respect to the Waikato Medical School”.

As part of the wider business case for a new medical school, we were engaged by the Ministry to do the following:

1. Produce a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of a new medical school.
2. Produce an economic case within the detailed business case for a new medical school.
3. Contribute to the economic case of the programme business case for a new medical
   school.

This report contains a CBA of the short-list of options to increase general practitioner (GP) coverage in rural New Zealand via additional medical students.

Our report is available from the Ministry of Health website. Please note it has been redacted in part and further work is being done to refine the CBA.

For more information about the report and this issue please read the following articles with comments from ACT Leader David Seymour, the Minister of Health, Shane Reti and Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists:

‘We need more doctors’ – Support for new Waikato medical school, RNZ, 22 November 2024

ACT leader David Seymour raises doubts about Waikato medical school, RNZ, 21 November 2024