Aide-Memoire: Indicative timeline for the consideration of the
proposal for a third medical school
To:
Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
From:
Tim Fowler, Chief Executive
Date:
13 March 2017
Reference:
AM/17/00200
Purpose
1. This aide-memoire provides details of the current timeline for the review and discussion of the
University of Waikato/Waikato DHB business case for establishing a third medical school in
New Zealand.
Background
1.
In the last quarter of 2016, the University of Waikato (Waikato) and the Waikato District
Health Board (DHB) submitted a joint business case to Hon Steven Joyce, then Minister for
Tertiary Education Skills and Employment, proposing to establish a new medical school. The
proposed programme is a four-year graduate entry programme with students able to enter
from any prior degree programme providing they meet academic and dispositional criteria.
2.
In addition, the focus will be on accepting students keen on rural practice, and likely to
continue to practice within the region (or within other rural areas in New Zealand). It is
envisaged that many of these students wil be Māori, reflecting the demographics of the
Waikato region.
3.
The business case has been the subject of several discussions between Ministers,
government officials and the University of Waikato/Waikato DHB as outlined below.
A ID E M E M O I R E : I N D I C A T I V E T I M E L I N E F O R T H E C O N S I D E R A T I O N O F T H E P R O P O S A L F O R A T H I R D M E D I C A L
S C H O O L
Timeline for reviewing the business case
4.
The timeline for the review and discussion of the business case is below:
Date
Event
14 October
Business Case for the establishment of a third medical school submitted to
2016
Government.
TEC officials provided a preliminary assessment of the business case
(B/16/001142 refers).
17 October
Professor Neil Quigley, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waikato and Dr
2016
Nigel Murray, Chief Executive of Waikato DHB verbally presented the business
case to Ministers Steven Joyce and Jonathan Coleman.
October 2016
TEC officials engaged the Treasury and Ministry of Health regarding the
business case.
28 October
Officials provided further assessment and advice around the business case.
2016
This included a draft letter from Ministers to the University of Waikato/Waikato
DHB requesting the submitted business case be developed into an Indicative
Business Case that meets Treasury’s Better Business Case requirements.
3 November
Prime Minister Rt. Hon John Key met University of Waikato/Waikato DHB to
2016
discuss the business case.
The TEC provided information to support this meeting (B/16/01202 refers).
2 December
Ministry of Health and TEC officials met with the Deans of the Auckland and
2016
Otago medical schools to discuss their concerns around the business case. It is
noted that this meeting was supposed to have been held with Ministers, but they
were unable to attend.
The TEC provided advice to support this meeting (B/16/01276 refers).
20 December
Hon. Paul Goldsmith replaced Hon. Steven Joyce as Minister of Tertiary
2016
Education, Skills and Employment
December
The TEC provided information about the business case and draft letter from
2016
Ministers in its Briefing to the Incoming Minister.
19 January
Officials provide Aide Memoire (AM/17/00011) to the Minister summarising the
2017
medical school business case, comments made by existing medical schools
(University of Auckland and University of Otago), and the draft letter to be sent to
University of Waikato/Waikato DHB.
5.
Finalising the letter has been done by your office in conjunction with the Minister of Health
and his office.
6.
Please note that this timeline does not include dates for correspondence with third parties, or
meeting with third parties to discuss the business case e.g. correspondence acknowledging
the support of Waikato Means Business, or meetings with the Universities of Auckland/Otago,
where the proposal may have been raised as a concern, but was not the focus of the
meeting.
REPORT NUMBER: AM/17/00200
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A ID E M E M O I R E : I N D I C A T I V E T I M E L I N E F O R T H E C O N S I D E R A T I O N O F T H E P R O P O S A L F O R A T H I R D M E D I C A L
S C H O O L
7.
The draft letter requesting an indicative Business Case (IBC) has been reviewed by Minister
Coleman and is due to be sent out soon. The TEC has asked to comment on this prior to it
being sent to the University of Waikato/Waikato DHB.
8.
It is not possible to indicate a timeline for submission of the IBC until the University of
Waikato/Waikato DHB has received the response from Ministers. Once this has been done,
TEC officials intend to meet with the relevant parties to discuss the letter and agree a
sensible timeline for submission of the next business case.
9.
Considerable work has been done on the business case already. Our estimate at this stage
is that two to three-months additional work would be required to address the issues raised in
the draft letter. The work required is mainly stakeholder engagement and further financial
modelling.
Tim Fowler
Chief Executive
Tertiary Education Commission
13 March 2017
Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and
Employment
__ __ / __ __ / __ __
REPORT NUMBER: AM/17/00200
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