Notice

Under sections 11 and 13 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (“Council”) gives notice of an amendment to the notice titled “Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine in New Zealand Notice 2024” published in the New Zealand Gazette, 30 September 2024, Notice No. 2024-sl4580 (“principal notice”).

Title and Commencement

This notice may be cited as the Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine in New Zealand Amendment Notice 2025 and will come into force on 25 April 2025.

This notice has the status of secondary legislation for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2019. This notice is published on the Council’s website www.mcnz.org.nz/about-us/publications/gazette-notices/.

Amendment to principal notice – prescribed qualification for provisional vocational scope of practice

The principal notice is amended by changing the reference in Option 1, under the prescribed qualification for provisional vocational scope of practice, from 18 months to 24 months. The prescribed qualification for provisional vocational scope of practice, Option 1 will, from the commencement of this notice, read as follows:

Background

The prescribed qualification for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who do not hold an approved New Zealand or Australasian post-graduate qualification, to apply for provisional vocational registration requires a positive, individual assessment of their qualifications, training and experience. Prior to the change that this notice records, the applicant must have been assessed as:

1. having qualifications, training and experience established to the Council’s satisfaction to be equivalent to or as satisfactory as that of a New Zealand vocationally-trained doctor registered in the same vocational scope of practice; and
2. being able to achieve registration in a vocational scope of practice in no more than 18 months (fulltime equivalent) of obtaining registration in a provisional vocational scope of practice.

Over four weeks (from 15 November 2024 to 13 December 2024), Council consulted on a proposal to extend the provisional vocational assessment period from 18 to 24 months. A consultation paper, which provided details of the proposal and rationale behind it, was published on Council’s website. Specific invitations to respond were sent to key stakeholders, including Manatū Hauora (Ministry of Health); Te Whatu Ora – Chief Executive Officers and Chief Medical Officers; New Zealand and Australasian medical colleges; and overseas regulators. In total, Council received 23 responses, including written submissions from New Zealand and Australasian medical colleges and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists.

At its meeting of 11 and 12 February 2025, Council approved the change to 24 months. Council was assured by the feedback from external stakeholders as part of the consultation and noted that it was largely supportive of the proposal. Council noted that, extending the provisional vocational assessment period from 18 to 24 months would permit the relevant medical college to advise Council on discrete training that would be completed to address deficiencies in an IMG’s training and/or experience, which would otherwise prevent them from meeting the standard required for provisional vocational registration.

Dated at Wellington this 28th day of March 2025.

CHRISTINE ANDERSON, Registrar, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand.