Consultation on Proposed Psychology Assistant Postgraduate Qualification 

 

Consultation Releases: 13 March 2026

Consultation Closes: 24 April 2026

Purpose of this consultation

The New Zealand Psychologists Board (Board) approved the Psychology Assistant scope of practice, including the competencies, title, and supervision requirements in August 2025. The Board now has a statutory obligation to consult and prescribe the qualifications for that scope of practice under sections 12 and 13 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA Act).  

The Board is seeking feedback on the proposed qualification framework, which is set out in greater detail below. Your feedback will help inform the Board’s decision about which qualifications it will require for the Psychology Assistant scope of practice and the broad parameters of those qualifications.  

Context and rationale

Demand for psychological services in Aotearoa New Zealand continues to exceed supply, particularly for people with low to moderate mental health and wellbeing needs, and for communities who already face barriers to accessing care. Workforce modelling by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has identified the need for an additional, regulated psychology workforce that can work alongside psychologists, under supervision, within clearly defined limits. 

The Psychology Assistant role is intended to: 

  • Increase access to psychologically informed support. 
  • Enable psychologists to work at top of their scope. 
  • Support team-based models of care across primary, secondary, and NGO settings.  
  • Contribute to improved equity of access, including Māori, Pacific peoples and underserved communities. 

The Board has been working in partnership with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, tertiary education organisations (TEOs), Māori and Pacific psychology representatives, professional bodies, employers and people with lived experience to develop the scope of practice and competency framework for Psychology Assistants. The final competency framework can be found on the Board’s website here.

This consultation on prescribed qualifications is one of the final stages in implement the profession of Psychology Assistants. The Board is working closely with TEOs to develop postgraduate courses for Psychology Assistants.  

Statutory requirements underpinning the qualification framework

The Board must prescribe the qualifications that a practitioner must achieve to be registered in the Psychology Assistant scope of practice. The qualification requirements prescribed must, in accordance with s 13 of the HPCA Act:  

  • Be necessary to protect members of the public.  
  • Not unnecessarily restrict the registration of persons as health practitioners.  

Not impose undue costs on health practitioners or on the public. If a practitioner has the prescribed qualification and can demonstrate that they are fit and competent to practise then they can be registered in the Psychology Assistant scope of practice (s 15 HPCA Act).  

Proposed qualification framework (high level)

The Board proposes that prescribed qualification for the Psychology Assistant profession would involve completion of the following: 

a) An undergraduate qualification 

  • A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology providing foundational knowledge of psychological theory, research methods and human development. 

 b) A prescribed postgraduate qualification 

  • A Board-accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology Assistant Practice (name to be confirmed by TEOs). 

The postgraduate qualification would be designed specifically to prepare graduates to practice safely and competently within the Psychology Assistant scope of practice.  

The Board has been working with TEOs to develop courses for this scope.  It is anticipated that the proposed course will: 

  • Be a one-year, 120-point 400-level tertiary qualification with admission criteria to be determined by TEOs.  
  • Have specified required papers for completion, which will address the seven competencies of the Psychology Assistant scope of practice.  
  • Have a supervised practicum component of at least 600 hours, undertaken in an approved multidisciplinary team environment. 

 Equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi considerations 

The development of the Psychology Assistant qualification is intended to contribute to reducing inequities in access to psychological services. The Board expects that qualification design will: 

  • Embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations. 
  • Elevate mātauranga Māori and Māori models of health and wellbeing. 
  • Support culturally safe practice across diverse communities.  
  • Prepare graduates to work effectively with whānau, families and communities.

What is not included in this consultation

    To support clarity and focus, this consultation does not seek feedback on: 

    • Detailed course content or papers. 
    • Specific teaching or assessment methods. 
    • Admission criteria beyond the proposed degree-level requirements. 
    • Individual programme proposals from universities or other providers. 

    These matters are addressed through qualification development, Committee on University Academic Programmes processes, and Board accreditation. 

    Consultation questions

    Question 1 

    Do you agree that the proposed qualification framework (bachelor’s degree in psychology plus a Board-accredited postgraduate diploma with a supervised practicum) is appropriate to support safe and competent practice within the Psychology Assistant scope? 

    Question 2 

    With respect to the principles set out in s 13 of the HPCA Act, are there any risks, barriers, or unintended consequences associated with the proposed qualification framework that the Board should consider before prescribing qualifications for the Psychology Assistant scope? 

    Please submit your feedback to by 5:00pm 24 April 2026

    Next steps

    Following consideration of consultation feedback, the Board will make a decision on the prescribed qualifications for the Psychology Assistant scope of practice. 

    Subject to that decision, the Board will progress accreditation of postgraduate Psychology Assistant programmes that have been developed by TEOs, in accordance with the Board’s accreditation standards and processes. 

    Questions about this consultation

    Thank you for taking the time to participate. If you have questions about the consultation process or require clarification on the scope of this consultation, please contact  

     

    Vanessa Simpson

    Chief Executive/Registrar

     

    This consultation has been developed with reference the New Zealand Psychologists Board’s Consultation Policy and Equity Lens Framework.