The University of Waikato broke ground on its new medical school building today at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown, Minister for Universities Hon Dr Shane Reti and representatives from Waikato-Tainui and other iwi partners of the University.
The groundbreaking ceremony marks a key milestone in the establishment of the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine, which will welcome its first students in 2028.
Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon and Chair of Te Arataura Tukoroirangi Morgan break ground on the new medical school building site
University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley says he is pleased to have taken another step towards the opening of New Zealand’s first graduate-entry medical school.
“We’re committed to delivering a medical school that will attract more people who want to train to be doctors in primary and community care. Our graduate-entry programme will provide a new model of selecting and training doctors for New Zealand, and we’re pleased to have the Government’s support.
“This is a significant day for the team here at Waikato and for the country’s health workforce at large.”
Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown says, “This marks a major step in the Government’s plan to train more GPs and strengthen access to primary care in regional New Zealand. It’s an important day for the University of Waikato, for regional development, and for the future of primary healthcare in our communities.”
Visitors are welcomed to the University before the groundbreaking ceremony
The four-storey teaching and learning building is where medical students will spend their first year in the four-year programme studying biomedical sciences and the social factors that influence health.
The medical school will take a ‘digital-first’ approach, using innovative teaching practices and new technologies.
This approach will be enabled by the facility’s purpose-built learning environments such as digital anatomy labs, VR-enabled case study rooms, clinical skills practice areas and hospital-standard simulation wards.
Students will learn in small, collaborative groups, supported by advanced digital tools such as VR and clinical simulation labs, alongside top-quality staff.
In recent months the University has taken key steps towards the establishment of the medical school including the appointment of an expert Medical Advisory Board which brings together expertise across general practice, rural and community health, psychiatry, equity and health technology.
It has signed an MOU with the University of Wollongong to collaborate on curriculum development, drawing on Wollongong’s success in training doctors for rural and regional areas, and has partnered with the University of Canterbury to expand opportunities for student placements into the South Island.
Its engagement with rural and regional communities across the country to finalise clinical placement locations is ongoing, with these set to be finalised in June 2026.
Construction of the building is expected to be complete in December 2027.
