Charter Schools and the Dunedin Hospital rebuild w/ the National Party’s Tim Costley: 4th February, 2025
Charter Schools and the Dunedin Hospital rebuild w/ the National Party’s Tim Costley: 4th February, 2025

The government announced its new $153m charter school program last year, which is due to begin operations in term one this year. The program has been criticised by some existing education providers, who say there is little evidence for its future success and that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
The Dunedin Hospital rebuild was also confirmed last week after months of review and reconsideration. The new build will expand on existing hospital services as promised, but will have 59 less beds than initially planned. Given overcrowding issues in the health system at the moment, some are concerned that this upgrade won’t be enough for the people of Dunedin.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Tim Costley about each of these issues, starting with the new charter school program.