A Te Arawa health collective, Te Arawa Māngai Nui Ūpoko Tūtakitaki, has been selected to help train Aotearoa’s next generation of doctors through a partnership with the proposed New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Waikato.
This collective is a collaboration between Te Taura Ora o Waiariki Iwi Māori Partnership Board, Rotorua Area Primary Health Services (PHO), Pinnacle Midlands Health Network (PHO), Korowai Aroha Health Centre, and Te Runanga O Ngāti Pikaio Across Aotearoa, 14 Expressions of Interest were received for the Community Clinical Learning Centres, with 10 led by iwi, reflecting strong Māori and community leadership in shaping future medical education. Many successful proposals, including Rotorua, were led by kāhui of wāhine.
Te Taura Ora Tumu Whakarae, Hinemoa Awatere said the selection recognises the strength of Te Arawa’s health leadership, clinical capability, and commitment to growing a future workforce that reflects the communities they work within.
“This is a significant milestone for Te Arawa and for the future of healthcare across Rotorua and the wider central North Island. It recognises the strength of our collective, our kaupapa Māori providers, and our ability to help train future doctors within the communities they will ultimately serve,” she said.
“Regional communities continue to face workforce shortages and challenges accessing primary healthcare. Training doctors within communities like ours is one of the most effective ways to build and retain the workforce we desperately need.”
“We need doctors who understand our people, our communities, and our aspirations. This is about fixing entrenched inequities and building a workforce that delivers better outcomes for whānau Māori, while remaining grounded in the communities they serve.”
The selection will see Rotorua become home to a Community Clinical Learning Centre, part of a national network of regional training hubs designed to address doctor shortages, strengthen primary care, and grow the rural and regional medical workforce.
The Community Clinical Learning Centre (CCLC) model creates pathways for students to learn, train, and build professional connections within the communities that need them most.
The Rotorua model will form part of a structured multi-year training pathway, with students spending their first year at the University of Waikato, year two placements in Tauranga Hospital, year three based in Rotorua for GP and community placements, and year four rotating between Rotorua and Tauranga hospital settings.
The first intake is expected to include 20 medical students, with numbers expected to increase annually as the programme expands.
“For Māori communities, this is about more than medical education. It is about creating pathways for our whānau into medicine, strengthening Māori and regional workforce pipelines, and ensuring communities have a greater voice in shaping the healthcare workforce of the future,” said Mapihi Raharuhi, Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pikiao.
Rotorua’s successful proposal highlighted a network capable of supporting long-term student placements across primary care, kaupapa Māori health services, mental health, urgent care, and integrated community health settings.
This initiative aligns strongly with evidence underpinning the proposed medical school, which aims to increase the number of general practitioners and rural doctors by embedding students in communities throughout their training.
International evidence shows students trained in regional settings are significantly more likely to return and practise in those communities after graduation.
The collective believes the initiative has the potential to strengthen local workforce pipelines, support Māori health equity, and improve access to healthcare services across Te Arawa and the wider central North Island.
The first intake of medical students is expected in 2027, with community-based clinical placements commencing from 2029.
The Rotorua-based Community Clinical Learning Centre is expected to play a key role in developing a sustainable local medical workforce while supporting improved health outcomes for Te Arawa whānau and communities across the region.