Consultation: Scope of Practice, Title, Competencies and Supervision Requirements for the proposed new role of an Assistant/Associate Psychologist (AP)
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) have been leading a project for a new scope and competencies within the wider psychology profession as part of their Mental Health and Addiction Workforce Plan 2024-2027. This project has seen Health NZ commission the New Zealand Psychologists Board (NZPB) to write a scope and competencies for a proposed new role. Additionally, the University of Canterbury (UC) and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) were both successful TEOs through an open procurement process, to develop a programme for training this new workforce.
Progress Update
NZPB has been working on the development of a draft scope and competencies for consultation. These are now at a stage where they have been reviewed by the Board, shared with the Universities to commence work on training programme development, and are now ready for public consultation with feedback being sought to inform development and next steps. A Board decision can be expected in June 2025 and stakeholders and the public notified of the outcome. Dependent on the outcome, NZPB will be responsible for accreditation of the University training programmes.
Consultation
NZPB engaged with members of an external Advisory Group in 2024 as well as initial face to face engagement with groups from the Health Quality and Safety Commission (HQSC) in early 2025. We have sought additional engagement from stakeholders via consumer and supervision surveys. The Board are now seeking formal feedback via consultation with the public, tāngata whaiora, whānau, education institutions, students, employers and the psychology profession.
You can access the consultation documentation and questions HERE. Detailed information on the draft scope, title, competencies, limitations to practice, and supervision requirements is available in the main consultation document and provides historical background to the early proposals for the scope and the detail of how it fits within Health NZ’s workforce development plans. An additional plain language one page summary of the proposal is available HERE.
Respondents are encouraged provide feedback via SurveyMonkey. Formal submissions can also be sent via email to .
Analysis
NZPB are working with Nicholson Consulting research company to support the collection and analysis of consultation feedback. Data from the consultation will be compiled and presented to all stakeholders including survey respondents and will be published on the NZPB website when available.
Please note that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be used in the analysis of this consultation data.
Feedback and Submissions
Consultation is open from 05 May 2025 until 16 June 2025. This can be accessed directly via the NZPB website with emails sent and distributed additionally through stakeholder networks. Feedback is sought and encouraged.
Any queries outside of the scope and competencies, role title and accreditation should be directed to Health NZ.