3. Before you proceed to apply

Please read all the sections below before moving to the next step. You are required to tick all of the boxes once you understand the information.

• Educational equivalence

  Applicants must demonstrate that their pre-registration education programme meets the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s educational standards for the registered nurse scope of practice.

  Applicants must meet the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s educational standards for the registered nurse scope of practice. Read more

  Educational equivalence

  Applicants must meet the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s educational standards for the registered nurse scope of practice.

  Qualifications required for registration

  International applicants must have nursing qualifications that:

  • are equivalent to:

  – Level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). For more information, see www.nzqa.govt.nz

  – full-time study for a minimum of 3 years, completed within 5 years of first enrolment

  • meet the Educational Standards for the registered nurse programme in New Zealand (see below).

  Please note: The organisation providing the training must be authorised by the local and/or national nurse regulatory authority and endorsed by the local health and/or education authority during the time the applicant was completing the nursing programme.

  Standards for training programmes

  Training programmes completed by international applicants must meet the standards described below.

  Requirements of graduates

  Graduates of the nursing programme must be able to engage in self-directed learning and demonstrate:

  • intellectual independence, critical thinking and analytic rigour
  • knowledge and skills related to the ideas, principles, concepts, research methods and problem- solving techniques of nursing
  • the skills needed to acquire, understand and assess information from a range of sources, communication and collaborative skills,
  • knowledge of pharmacology and medicine management
  • comprehensive skills in assessing health consumers and making clinical decisions effective therapeutic communication with health consumers
  • the ability to:

  – work within a health care team

  – provide delegation and direction in practice

  – use information technology and manage health information.

  Structure and content of the programme

  The nursing programme must:

  • be based on health care and practice needs
  • provide learning experiences in theory and clinical practice that:

  – promote the development of critical thinking and nursing inquiry

  – use teaching and learning approaches that are based on current best practice and research evidence.

  The programme must identify the expected learning outcomes for each course and demonstrate how these learning outcomes will be met and assessed. It must also show how nursing knowledge and skills are expanded and extended across the duration of the programme.

  Fifty per cent of the theory hours of the nursing programme must have a clear nursing focus and include nursing theory and concepts.

  Clinical experience

  The programme must provide a minimum of 1,100 hours of clinical experience. This excludes laboratory or simulation hours. The final semester/year of the programme must include an extended clinical experience of at least 360 hours, in full shifts of approximately 8 hours.

  The clinical experiences must occur in a range of settings with health consumers across the lifespan and must include:

  • primary health care and community settings
  • acute care including medical and surgical settings
  • continuing care settings including acute and rehabilitation/disability care settings
  • mental health care including acute and rehabilitation/continuing care settings.

  The clinical experiences must have formulated learning outcomes that demonstrate increased responsibility, knowledge and skills across the years. The final semester/year of the programme must have a clear focus on the registered nurse role.

• Current registration

  You must have current registration in your own country to be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand. Read more

  1. You must have current registration in your own country to be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand. You may hold current registration in a country other than your home country or where you gained your nursing qualification. You must have registered initially in the country you trained in.
  
  
  2. You must provide evidence of your current registration to apply for registration in New Zealand, and also provide evidence of your initial registration from the relevant regulatory authority.

• English language requirement

  You must provide a certified copy of an English language assessment certificate. Read more

  Before applying, all applicants, regardless of country of origin must have gained the required band score (see below) in all four sections of the IELTS or OET English exam. Failure to do so may result in your application being rejected. A refund may also not apply.

  You must provide a certified copy of an English language assessment certificate. The Nursing Council of New Zealand will verify this with the testing authority.

  The Council has approved two English language assessments: the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Academic test) and the Occupational English Test (OET). Your certificate must be one of these. The two assessments are explained in the table below.

  Approved English language assessments
  IELTS	OET
  In this test, an applicant must achieve a minimum score of 7.0 for each band: reading, listening, writing and speaking. This does not need to be achieved in a single sitting of the IELTS, but can be gained over a succession of tests. The total of seven in each band must be achieved within 12 months of first sitting the test. Information on the IELTS can be found at the website: www.ielts.org	An applicant must pass the OET with a score of at least B in each section. This does not need to be achieved in a single sitting of the OET, but can be gained over a succession of tests, providing the applicant uses the same candidate number. The score of B in each band must be achieved within 12 months of first sitting the test. Information on the OET can be found on the website: www.occupationalenglishtest.org

  You can take the test either in your country of residence or in New Zealand. The Council strongly recommends that you complete this test before emigrating to New Zealand.

  The English language assessment must be less than three years old at the time you submit a completed application to the Council.

• Post-registration experience

  Applicants must have completed the required two years' post-registration practice, within the immediate 5 years preceding application (no less than 2,500 hours of clinical practice) before applying for registration in New Zealand. Read more

  Applicants must have completed the required two years' post-registration practice within the immediate 5 years preceding application (no less than 2,500 hours of clinical practice) before applying for registration in New Zealand.

  What counts as clinical practice?

  Nursing practice is using nursing knowledge in a direct relationship with clients or working in nursing management, nursing administration, nursing education, nursing research, nursing professional advice or nursing policy development roles, which impact on public safety.

  For further information see the Nursing Council of New Zealand website.

• Fitness and competence to practise

  To be assessed for competence to practise, the applicant must supply evidence that: Read more

  To be assessed for competence to practise, the applicant must supply evidence that:

  • supports and verifies the educational equivalence of the training programme completed.
  • verifies the applicant’s registration with the relevant regulatory authority
  • verifies the applicant’s post-registration experience and ongoing professional development
  • if required by the Council, the applicant must successfully complete a competence assessment programme (CAP) or an individualised competence assessment programme that has been approved by the Council.

  Competence assessment programme

  The Council may require applicants to complete a CAP before registration. These programmes are generally 6–8 weeks long and include a theoretical and a clinical component. Applicants are given 2 years from the date of notification to begin a CAP.

  CAP providers charge fees for their programmes. The fees are payable to the provider, not to the Council.

  The Council’s website (www.nursingcouncil.org.nz) has a list of the approved CAP providers in New Zealand.

• Supporting documents required

  You must provide supporting documents. Read more

  The Nursing Council of New Zealand recommends you use a courier to send your documents to the Council. Any original documents you later wish to be returned will be couriered at your expense.

  You must provide the following documents.

  1. Registration certificate (a certified copy of the original)

     You must provide evidence of your initial registration in your home country (your registration certificate) and of your current registration status, from the relevant regulatory authority. The registration must contain an expiry date.

     Applicants from the Philippines must provide an authenticated Board certificate. For the authentication procedure, please see the 'General Information' section.

  2. Passport (a certified copy of the original)

     You must provide a certified copy of the details page of your current passport, showing a clear photograph.

  3. English language certificate (a certified copy of the original)

     You must provide a certified copy of an English language assessment certificate (IELTS or OET). The Council will verify this with the testing authority.

  4. Curriculum vitae (CV)

     You must provide a CV that gives a detailed record of your post-registration nursing experience, including dates employed, name(s) of employer(s), position(s) held, areas of practice and actual nursing duties. Your CV should also provide details of your educational qualifications, professional development and any gaps in practice you may have. A template CV will be attached to your confirmation email once you complete this online application.

  5. Two professional references (original documents)

     Two original professional references are required. These references must:

     • be on letterhead paper

     • include the contact details of the workplace (telephone number, email address and workplace email address where applicable), so Council staff are able to contact the referees

     • be written by a senior nurse, nursing supervisor, doctor or health professional who supervises/supervised your registered nurse practice at your current/last place of employment (the reference must include the writer’s work email address, credentials as a health professional and role)

     • include your full name and date of birth

     • be addressed to the Nursing Council New Zealand.

     The referees must:

     • include their own registration number and the name of the regulatory authority they are registered with

     • confirm what professional role you were employed in and for how long

     • discuss your post-registration experience

     • include statements about your character and integrity – in particular:

       – what reasons relating to character, integrity, reliability and diligence, in their opinion, make you suitable to be registered as a nurse in New Zealand

       – if they know of anything that might hinder your registration in New Zealand – in particular, any issues of professional competence or fitness to practise relating to your nursing practice

       – whether, to their knowledge, you have ever been convicted of an offence.

  6. One character reference

     You must provide one character reference from a person who has known you for at least two years. The referee does not need to be a nurse, but must not be a member of your family.

     The reference must include:

     • the referee’s full name and contact details (telephone and email)
     • your full name and date of birth
     • how long and in what circumstances the referee has known you
     • statements about your character and integrity – in particular:

       – what reasons relating to character, integrity, reliability and diligence, in the referee’s opinion, make you suitable to be registered as a nurse in New Zealand,

       – if they know of anything that might hinder your registration in New Zealand – in particular, any issues of professional competence or fitness to practise relating to your nursing practice,

       – whether, to their knowledge, you have ever been convicted of an offence.

     The reference must be signed and dated by the referee and addressed to the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

  7. Name change document

     If your current name does not match the name on all your documents, you must provide a certified copy of a change of name or marriage certificate document. Applicants from the Philippines must provide an authenticated name change document.

  8. Verification of registration

     The Council requires evidence of your overseas nursing registration from the regulatory authority or licensing board you are currently registered with. You will be sent a verification form that you will need to send to the registration authority or licensing board. The registration authority or licensing board will send the verification directly to the Council.

     The registration authority/licensing board will:

     • give details of your registration or licence to practise, and
     • confirm your registration is current, and
     • sign the supporting declaration of good health and good character.

     The regulatory authority or licensing board must supply this verification directly to the Council. If the country has no regulatory system for nurses, the verification must be supplied by the highest nursing authority or professional body under which you have practised.

  9. Transcript of training

     You will be sent a form requesting information about your pre-registration nursing education. This form must be sent to your education provider.

     Your pre-registration nursing education provider must provide:

     • verified evidence that your qualification meets the educational standards for registered nursing in New Zealand
     • original or verified copies of your transcript of training or the theoretical content of the courses you have completed. This must include:

     – the total hours and credits for each subject, and

     – original or certified copies of detailed curriculum/course outlines or descriptors (including teaching content) for each theoretical and practical course completed.

     If the nursing education programme uses credits rather than hours, the documents must state how many hours make up a theory credit and how many hours make up a practice credit in your nursing programme. Without this important information we will not be able to process your application.

     The documentation must show:

     • which papers taught the fundamentals of practice (these include: nursing assessment; professional nursing practice; health promotion; and nursing decision making)
     • what part of the programme included the science for practice (this includes: bioscience; social and behavioural science; pharmacology; pathophysiology; genetics; and disease states)
     • what part of the programme included the art of practice (this includes: therapeutic communication skills; research and evidence-based practice; organisational and supervisory skills; and leadership).

     The education provider must complete the transcript request form and return it with the required documentation directly to the Council.

     If you trained at more than one institution, then transcripts must be sent from each institution.

     Cross-crediting of courses

     The school of nursing you attended must provide evidence of how courses you completed from previous institutions (degrees) have been cross-credited. In addition, each institution must verify what programme of study you were enrolled in and the dates you were enrolled in the study.

     Certified copy of your qualification gained (only required if requested)

     If the Council requires more information about the qualification you gained, you may be required to send a certified copy of your qualification.

     Accreditation of nursing programme from Indian Nursing Council (INC) and State Regulatory Authority (SRA)

     For applicants who have completed nursing study in India please note: the school must provide verified evidence that it was accredited to offer a nursing programme by the INC and SRA during the time you were enrolled there. These documents should be sent directly to the Nursing Council of New Zealand from the school of nursing. Examples of evidence include a copy of the letter from the INC/SRA confirming that the school was accredited during the years you were studying there.

  10. International Criminal History Check (original document)

      All applicants must provide a current International Criminal History Check that is less than six months old when received by the Council. If required to complete a competence assessment programme, you will need to have a current police certificate at the time of registration (issued less than six months before registration). This may mean you will need to supply a second certificate before you can be registered.

      This certificate is evidence of whether you have had any convictions that are punishable by imprisonment for three months or longer. The certificate must be obtained via the Council's approved vendor, Fit2Work, and must be for all countries you have resided in for 12 months or more, in the last 10 years. Please note there will be a fee of AU$149 per country payable to Fit2Work for this service.

      If you have a court conviction, you must provide any explanation or documentation you would like the Council to consider in deciding your application for registration.

• General information

  The total application fee is NZ$650.00. Please note that this fee is non-refundable, and we can only accept credit cards or debit cards (Visa or MasterCard) for payment. Read more

  Registration fee

  The total application fee is NZ$650.00. Please note that this fee is non-refundable, and we can only accept credit cards or debit cards (Visa or MasterCard) for payment.

  Documents must be in English

  All forms and documents for your application must be completed in English. If a document is in a language other than English, you must provide an official translation as well as the original document.

  Applications are open for 12 months

  Applications for registration remain open for 12 months. If the Nursing Council of New Zealand does not receive all the required documentation within 12 months, the application will expire. Documents may be destroyed after 12 months.

  Retention of your information

  If your application is successful, the Council will retain your forms and supporting documentation. It is better not to send original documents (except when they have been specifically requested), as the Council will not return documents while an application is being processed.

  Your privacy rights

  Under the Privacy Act 1993, the information you supply in your application is confidential to the Council. This information is used only for the purpose of processing your application. You have the right to access and correct any of your personal information held by the Council.

  Authority

  If you want a person or agent to act on your behalf, and allow them access to information relating to your application, please state this on the first page of the application form.

  Certified copies of documents

  All copies of documents must be certified as true copies of the originals by a solicitor, justice of the peace, notary public, or other person authorised to certify documents.

  Applicants from the Philippines

  Authentication of documents

  The public documents you provide to support your application for registration in New Zealand must be authenticated and notarised in the Philippines by a duly commissioned notary public or any other official duly authorised by law to perform notarial functions in the Philippines.

  The certified documents must then be submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs for authentication by its Authentication Division.

  The authenticated document will then be submitted to the Consular Section of the Embassy of New Zealand in the Philippines, which will certify the authenticity of the signature affixed by the authentication officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

  Passport details

  For your passport details the Council requires a certified copy of the photo page of your passport. It does not need to be authenticated.

• False declaration and representation

  Every person commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 who, either on his or her own behalf or on behalf of any other person, makes a written or oral declaration or representation that, to his or her knowledge, is false or misleading; or provides to the Council, or makes use of, any document knowing it to contain any declaration or representation of that kind, that it is not genuine. Read more

  Every person who makes a declaration or representation or provides any document knowing it contains any false or misleading declaration, or provides a document knowing that it is not genuine commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 under section 172 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

  Employment

  The Nursing Council of New Zealand does not hold employment information and cannot help overseas nurses gain employment in New Zealand. We recommend that you do not agree a start date for employment until you are registered and hold a current practising certificate.

  Immigration

  Immigration requirements do not come under the jurisdiction of the Council.

  We strongly advise applicants to complete their registration before they complete their immigration requirements.

  Internationally qualified nurses who wish to practise in New Zealand must meet registration requirements with the Council and immigration requirements with Immigration New Zealand.

  If there is no New Zealand diplomatic post in your country of residence, please contact:

  Immigration New Zealand

  PO Box 3705

  Wellington, New Zealand

  Telephone: +64 9 914 4100 (if calling from overseas)

  0508 558 855 (if calling from within New Zealand)

  Website: www.immigration.govt.nz

  Residents of the United Kingdom should contact:

  The New Zealand High Commission New Zealand House

  80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ

  Website: www.nzembassy.com/uk

  Unsuccessful applications

  If you do not meet the New Zealand requirements for registration, your application will be declined. The Council will provide you with reasons for that decision.

  What if I disagree with the decision?

  You may disagree with the decision and want to discuss the outcome or provide further information. If this is the case, you should write to the Registration Manager explaining why you disagree with the decision and setting out any concerns or questions you have.

  Review/appeal of the proposal to decline application

  If you disagree with the decision not to register you or to register you in a different scope of practice or to include conditions in your scope of practice, you may ask the Registration Committee to review the decision. We will provide guidance on this process.

  If the Registration Committee declines to register you, you may appeal this decision to the District Court or ask for a review by the full Council.

  Application for an annual practising certificate

  To start nursing practice a nurse will need to apply for an annual practising certificate (APC). All New Zealand nurses must hold an APC before they commence nursing in New Zealand. A separate fee for a practising certificate is payable upon registration. Successful applicants will be sent information about this after they have been formally registered.

  New Zealand nursing medals

  Internationally qualified nurses may apply for New Zealand nursing medals after they have been formally registered.