This is edition 2024/189 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome to the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
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1. Waikato Med School – National’s zombie "pet project" won’t die
Bryce Edwards
- 🏥 Government officials have raised significant concerns about the University of Waikato's proposal for a third medical school in New Zealand.
- 💼 The saga involves competing perspectives within healthcare policy, education, and government.
- 🌱 The proposal aims to address New Zealand’s doctor shortage, especially in rural areas, amidst financial concerns and conflicting visions.
- 📊 Health Minister Shane Reti and the National Party support the $380m project as an election promise to increase doctors, starting in 2027.
- 💰 Concerns about financial viability include untested assumptions and gaps in financial data, risking university funding and impacting existing medical schools.
- 🏫 Established medical schools like Auckland and Otago oppose the Waikato plan, arguing for cheaper and faster expansion of their own capacities.
- 🎓 Critics question the efficiency and political motivations behind the Waikato project, highlighting issues of transparency and fiscal prudence.
- 📜 Political tensions within the coalition government and opposition from Act Party emphasize the need for rigorous economic analysis before commitment.
- 🌍 Supporters see the school as empowering regional healthcare and boosting the Waikato economy, aiming to diversify the medical workforce.
- 🛑 Opponents argue prioritizing regional growth over immediate healthcare needs risks misallocating resources, urging reconsideration and scrutiny.
