19904 (2026). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Tertiary Education

19904 (2026). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Tertiary Education: Has the Minister received any assurances that mitigations are in place, or under consideration, to manage the risk that the University of Waikato medical programme's placement payment rates disrupt existing clinical placements at the University of Auckland and the University of Otago?

Hon Penny Simmonds: The Minister of Health and the former Minister of Universities received briefings from the Ministry of Health outlining plans to manage risks of disruption to existing medical schools’ clinical placements. The New Medical School Programme’s Clinical Placements Project, and a Clinical Placements Board which includes representation from the University of Auckland and the University of Otago as well as the University of Waikato, are also supporting a coordinated approach to clinical placements.