West Coast Launches NZ’s First Fully Coordinated Rural Generalist Training Hub

“A critical step was achieving accreditation in October 2024 to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training,” Mr Doocey says.

The West Coast is set to become a national leader in rural healthcare training with the official launch today of a newly coordinated rural hospital medicine and specialist GP training programme—designed to grow a stable, home-grown rural health workforce and fast-track doctors into meaningful careers outside the main centres.

Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey say the programme marks a turning point for rural health on the Coast, transforming decades of local training experience into a formally structured, scalable pathway for rural generalists.

“This is a major milestone for the West Coast,” Mr Brown says.“For more than 20 years, the region averaged just two to three registrars at any one time. From today, that number will lift to around eight to ten—creating a critical mass of clinicians who can support each other, their communities, and the health system.”

The programme is unique in New Zealand for its fully coordinated model, integrating rural hospital medicine and specialist GP training into a single, region-wide pathway. Designed specifically for remote and rural settings, it prepares doctors to work flexibly across multiple disciplines—an essential capability where access to specialist services is limited.

Placements run for six to twelve months and offer strong incentives for early adopters, including high-quality supervision, stable rosters, housing assistance, and clearly defined roles after training. There has already been strong interest from both New Zealand and overseas applicants.

“The goal is not just to train doctors here, but to keep them here,” Mr Brown says.“When clinicians build long-term relationships with the communities they serve, they’re far more likely to stay—and that’s how you create a sustainable rural workforce.”

Mr Doocey says the programme builds on the Coast’s long tradition of ‘growing its own’ doctors, many of whom trained locally and continue to serve the region.

“A critical step was achieving accreditation in October 2024 to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training,” Mr Doocey says.“That accreditation confirmed the Coast meets rigorous standards for supervision, case mix, after-hours support, curriculum structure, and quality systems—and it allowed recruitment of New Zealand and Australian graduates to begin immediately.”

Training rural generalists is a core pillar of the National Rural Health Strategy, with one in five New Zealanders living in rural communities.

“This programme puts the West Coast at the forefront of rural health innovation,” Mr Doocey says.“It sends a clear message to doctors early in their careers: if you want breadth of practice, strong support, and the chance to make a real difference, the Coast is open for you.”

Call to action for early adopters

Doctors interested in rural hospital medicine or specialist GP training are encouraged to apply early, with initial placements now underway and further intakes planned as the programme scales. Health leaders say early participants will help shape the model and set the standard for rural training nationwide.