"Universities have an important role in shaping the future economic and social development of our country, and we will be looking to work with the minister to support and enhance that work," Mr Robertson said.
However, the bulk of a statement from the university is about Dr Reti's successor as Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, and the matter of whether New Zealand needs another medical school.
Mr Robertson congratulated Mr Brown and said the university looked forward to working with him, too.
"Success in health is critical to our success as a nation and the University of Otago plays a vital role in the health sector, including training a large number of our future doctors," he said.
"There is widespread agreement that New Zealand needs to train more doctors," he said.
"Minister Brown now has the opportunity to make this happen in a cost-effective and proven way."
Mr Robertson argued a proposed medical school in Waikato was unlikely to be an affordable, prudent spend, compared with alternative options.
"We believe it would be more effective for both Otago and Auckland medical schools to be able to increase the number of students they train each year.
"This will not require any new capital funding. To accommodate new students, we would largely reconfigure use of existing facilities.
"All the government needs to do is increase the number of students allowed to study medicine and provide the necessary funding."
Mr Robertson said capital expenditure and operating costs for a new medical school risked being significantly higher than might be expected today.
"It has been claimed that the capital expenditure for a Waikato medical school is $380 million," he said.
"Based on our knowledge of the costs of medical school infrastructure, we are of the view that this costing is likely to be a significant underestimate."
An initial capital outlay would have to be supplemented by a substantial list of operating expenses, such as recruiting staff and curriculum development, Mr Robertson said.
"We look forward to engaging with the new minister on finding the most cost-effective and impactful way to support more doctors being available to meet New Zealanders’ health needs wherever they live."
