Taranaki will welcome students from the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine from 2028, the Government has announced.
The region is one of five selected to host students from the Waikato University-based school, which will train an additional 120 medical students each year. Students will spend one year at Waikato's campus before undertaking three years of clinical training in their allocated region.
In Taranaki, clinical training will occur across both Taranaki and Whanganui, with most placements community-based in general practice and community care settings.
Te Kawau Mārō Alliance, which comprises Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāruahine iwi health providers, Tui Ora, Health NZ and Pinnacle Midlands Health Network, said the programme would improve health outcomes for whānau and create long-term workforce stability.
Alliance spokesperson Alana Ruakere, who is also chief executive of Tui Ora, said "communities in Taranaki face real barriers to accessing care, particularly in rural areas". She said the scheme meant "more doctors being trained here, in our communities, alongside our whānau, and an opportunity for rangatahi".
"Our rohe is ready," Ruakere said. "We already have the people, the partnerships and the places needed to support high-quality learning."
Health Minister Simeon Brown said "we know that where doctors train often influences where they practise". He said the programme "has been designed so that students - particularly those from regional and rural backgrounds - can complete most of their training within their home regions".
Community Clinical Learning Centres will be established in each region, including at Taranaki Base Hospital, serving as teaching facilities for medical, nursing, midwifery and pharmacy students.