11 Sep 2020

Proposal on Māori, Pasifika medical school limits 'disturbing'

From Midday Report, 12:42 pm on 11 September 2020

A prominent medical organisation has called a proposal by Otago University to impose caps on special medical school admissions for Māori and Pasifika "deeply disturbing".

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians' Maori Health Committee is the latest group to raise concerns over the proposal, which could mean a limit of 56 students a year through the Māori Entry Pathway and 20 through the Pacific Entry Pathway.

Both currently have no limit and were designed to create a health workforce that better reflects New Zealand's diverse communities.

RNZ's Meriana Johnsen spoke to Te Aniwa Hurihanganui about the comments.