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“New Zealand is facing physician shortages, particularly in rural areas and primary care settings. Although the number of doctors has increased by 5,000 over the past decade, only 260 are GPs and many are nearing retirement.34

“Forty-two percent of the workforce are international medical graduates — the highest proportion in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.35 Retention is a challenge: just over 40 percent of international medical graduates leave within a year, and 75 percent leave within a decade.36

“Medical education is concentrated at the University of Otago and the University of Auckland, which together produce 10.6 medical graduates for every 100,000 people.37 Annual tuition ranges from NZD 20,000 to NZD 40,000 (USD 12,092 to USD 24,184).38 A third medical school, proposed for the University of Waikato, is expected to produce an extra 120 graduates a year by 2031, with a focus on rural and general practice.39

“The 2024 budget dedicated NZD 17 billion (USD 10 billion) to expanding training and strengthening workforce capacity.40“

Source: International Health Care System Profiles: New Zealand (Commonwealth Fund, May 2026). doi.org/10.26099/ZSDS-JP27

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other OECD member nations.

Page last updated July 1, 2026 by Doug McVay, Editor.