21 December 2023
By email:
[FYI request #24712 email]
Tēnā koe Brooke
I refer to your information request dated 19 November 2023 made under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act). You have enquired as to whether Whitikahu School (763 Whitikahu Road, Whitikahu
3792) is considered rural for the purposes of entry to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
(MB ChB) programme at the University of Otago in 2022 or 2023 via the New Zealand Rural Origins sub-
category.
As noted previously, rural eligibility is not assessed ahead of an application as the eligibility criteria can
change year to year. An application is automatically checked by the information entered in eVision (the
University’s student management system), as it requires the verification of the information provided at
the time of application. If the application is found to not be eligible under the Rural sub-category, the
applicant will be notified and the application will continue to be processed with this sub-category
removed.
To perform an informal check of the classification of the residential area provided in your application,
please use the GCH (Geographic Classification for Health) New Zealand Map foun
d here. It is important
to note that this should be considered as a guide only and may be subject to change each year. The
Statistical Area 1s (SA1s) of the residential address and/or the school(s) provided will be checked against
the GCH database during the assessment of your application.
I note that you advised in your previous request that your years of attendance at Whitikahu School were
2011 – 2018. Based on the information you have provided, I can confirm that Whitikahu School was
classed as Rural for entry to the 2023 MB ChB programme (i.e., applying in 2022 for entry to the 2023
MB ChB programme). This may change for entry to the MB ChB programme in future years.
Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm whether Whitikahu School was classed as Rural or Urban for
entry to the 2022 MB ChB programme.
It is important to note that whether a school is classified as Rural or Urban is not the sole factor in
determining whether or note a candidate is eligible under the New Zealand Rural Origins sub-category.
Provided applicants have selected this sub-category as part of their application, each applicant’s
particular circumstances are considered individually with respect to the requirements listed in the
Medicine: Guidelines for Admission, and a determination made taking all factors into account.
I trust that this information will be helpful.
Yours sincerely
Kelsey Kennard
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar