WANT TO REGISTER

Assessment

Applications from overseas-trained practitioners are assessed on an individual basis for fitness, equivalence of qualifications, and competence. The Board does not rely on assessments completed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

When the Board considers an application for registration as a Psychologist in New Zealand we look for (among other things):

• If the applicant has completed a minimum 6-year course of studies in psychology
• If the applicant’s training programme is accredited
• If the applicant has completed 1500 hours of supervised practice (an internship) as part of their psychology qualification, closely supervised by a qualified psychologist
• an endpoint evaluation of the applicant’s internship or a licensing examination
• if the applicant holds registration as a psychologist in the country they trained and, in the country, where they are currently residing.

If you trained and registered in a country other than UK, South Africa or the United States of America please supply as much information as possible about the course content of your degrees/diplomas, undergraduate and post-graduate.

Information relating to any internships or practical training is required. Information about current registration with a recognised authority (e.g. State or National registration authority) is also needed. If the country where you trained has a psychology licensing or registration scheme and your qualification is not eligible for licensing/registration as a psychologist your application will be declined.

Self-assessment tool

Practitioners who completed psychology training overseas and are considering applying for registration in New Zealand should first complete the Board’s online Self-Assessment of Eligibility for Registration.

This tool gives an idea of how the Board may assess your fitness for registration, the equivalence of your qualifications in relation to the minimum standard of qualifications required for registration in New Zealand, and your current competence to practise.

The self-assessment tool is non-binding and should not be taken as a formal opinion. If, as you work through the tool, you are advised that there may be an obstacle to your registration, you can contact the Board for clarification.

In-Residence Requirements for Masters or Doctoral Degree (Internship hours)

Please find below a guideline on what we are looking for when assessing an applicants qualification:

• The degree must meet the in-residence requirement, that is – the masters or doctoral programme included a minimum of one continuous year in residence at (or under the official oversight of) the institution from which the degree was granted.
• Programmes that use only multiple long weekends and/or summer intensive sessions do not meet the in-residence requirement.
• Programmes that use teleconferencing or other electronic means as a substitute for physical presence at the institution do not meet the in-residence requirement.

Supervision/internship hours should include:

• at least 50% of the supervised experience (internship) must be in service-related activities such as treatment/intervention, assessment, interviews, report writing, case presentations or consultations.
• at least 50% of service-related activities (ie 25% of the internship hours) shall be direct client contact.
• a minimum of two hours per week of supervision, one hour of which is individual, face to face, in person supervision by a licensed psychologist.

Evidence

Applicants must provide conclusive, clear and reliable evidence that they successfully completed a structured, supervised, and formally evaluated professional practice programme of at least 1500 hours as part of their qualification that has been approved by the New Zealand Psychologists Board or by an equivalent competent registering authority.

Applicants will need to provide evidence of applicable qualifications, internships, and practical training for each scope they are applying to be registered under.

Note: In assessing the number of hours of internship an applicant has completed, the starting point is when the student has actually commenced practising (under appropriate supervision but semi-independently) as a psychologist. The finishing point is when their placement contract ends. Internships normally occur toward the end of a student’s academic training, and can be differentiated from practica both by the degree of independence afforded the student and by the timing of the placement in relation to the core academic training.

Prescribed countries

Cost analysis has shown that applications from countries where training and regulation are similar to New Zealand’s take less time to process than those from other countries. The Board has therefore determined (in accordance with the requirements that our fees are “cost-recovery only” and that no cross-subsidisation occurs) that the application fees should reflect this disparity. Currently the prescribed countries (i.e. with training and regulation similar to that in New Zealand) include Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

Jurisdiction

Assessing equivalence includes looking at whether your qualification would lead to registration in the jurisdiction in which you obtained your qualification.

If you do not meet registration or licensing requirements in the country where you have trained, it is unlikely you will be eligible in New Zealand. In some cases local requirements may be below New Zealand standards.

Scopes of practice

Scopes of practice identified by the Board are:

• Psychologist
• Clinical Psychologist
• Counselling Psychologist
• Educational Psychologist
• Neuropsychologist
• Intern Psychologist
• Trainee Psychologist

A general summary of these scopes is here.

For full details please refer to this document.

Communication skills

If English is not your first language and your psychology qualifications were not completed in the English language in Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland or the United States of America, you will need to provide a certified copy of your International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Module results. This is the only English test currently approved by the Board. The minimum pass mark required is 7.5 overall, with no less than 7.0 on each section. Test results must be obtained within two years prior to applying for registration. The Board also accepts IELTS One Skill Retake results.

Standards of practice

The standards of practice expected of all psychologists practising in New Zealand are outlined in the Board’s Core Competencies for the Practice of Psychology in New Zealand and the Code of Ethics for Psychologists Working in Aotearoa New Zealand 2002.

Core competencies include cultural competencies. New Zealand-registered psychologists are expected to be culturally competent with all cultures but particularly to safeguard the wellbeing of Māori. The practise of psychology in New Zealand reflects paradigms and world views of both partners to te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi.

Cultural Competence

Overseas-trained applicants are encouraged to begin their orientation to New Zealand before relocating. The Immigration New Zealand website offers many useful resources, and the Board’s information on Cultural Competence should be reviewed.

Healthcare in New Zealand is in a process of change to address the adverse effects of colonisation on Māori. There is an expectation that to be competent to practise in New Zealand a health practitioner should be aware of, and able to apply, the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and relevant Māori models of healthcare to their practice.

This has been in part prompted by Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the Act), emphasis on cultural competence, including competencies that will enable effective and respectful interaction with Māori, and other aspects unique to practice in New Zealand, including the legal obligations of health practitioners, and New Zealand’s ACC compensation scheme.

The free and optional Foundation Course in Cultural Competency may support you to build your understanding of cultural competency and health literacy in New Zealand with a focus on improving Māori health outcomes.

Conditions

When considering applications for registration, the Board is conscious that overseas applicants may not have experience working with Māori (New Zealand’s indigenous population). Each application is considered on individual merits; however, it is likely that the Board will consider imposing a “transitional” condition on the scope of practice for applicants who have never trained or practised in New Zealand.

If a condition is proposed in relation to your application for registration, please note that:

• You are welcome to make submissions with regard to your practice in terms of cultural safety in general.
• The intent of any proposed condition is to support you into practice in a new jurisdiction, noting that tangata whenua have unique and specific cultural needs.
• You may complete training in cultural safety relating to Māori to demonstrate that you have started your journey. The Board recommends the course “Foundation Course in Cultural Competency (Māori) delivered at mauriora.co.nz.

Any questions still remaining about the Board’s requirements can then be directed to our registration team:

Email

Phone
+64 4 471 4580

0800 471 4580

References

The Act requires that a practitioner be a fit and proper person to be registered. References will be required to ensure this is the case.

At least one of the references must be from a senior psychologist who is registered, chartered, or licensed with a government-mandated registration authority overseas. A copy of that referee’s registration certificate or licence must be included with the reference letter.

The references must be either the original document, signed and dated no earlier than three months before the date on which the application is received by the Board and posted with the applicants application or the referee can email the reference directly to the Board at , noting the applicants name in the subject line.

Referees should know the applicant for at least 12 months and ideally in a professional capacity, unless they are providing a character reference. Family members and friends are not suitable referees.

Criminal history

The Board requires that you provide a record of criminal convictions (e.g. Police Clearance Certificate (South Africa); FBI Criminal Conviction Information/Fingerprint Information & State level Police Clearance (USA); Australian Federal Police Certificate; ACRO Police Clearance Certificate (UK)) or equivalent documentation from each country you have lived in within the past five years for longer than three months.

This is to inform the Board of any convictions you may have had in your former country or countries of residence.

The record must not be more than six months old and must include all names the applicant is/was known by.

Notes: A conviction does not necessarily preclude the granting of registration. Any convictions will be considered by the Board on a case-by-case basis. If you have a conviction, you should also submit an explanatory letter about the conviction to the Board.

Police certificates obtained through third party companies for pre-employment checks, are not accepted.  The Police certificate must have been requested directly from the Police in the country concerned.

Application and fees

Fees

Application fees are non-refundable. Please refer to the Fees page for current information.

Postal application

Complete applications for registration of overseas trained psychologists are to be sent to the following addresses.

Postal

New Zealand Psychologists Board

PO Box 9644
Marion Square
Wellington 6141
New Zealand

OR

Courier/Physical Address

New Zealand Psychologists Board
Level 5
22 Willeston Street
Wellington 6011
New Zealand 

Please use this application form to apply for registration.  A full documentation checklist can be found on page five of the form.

Applications processing

The Board cannot accept incomplete applications. Please post/courier all required documentation together.

If making an International Money Transfer, please ensure your application has first been received by the Board.

A checklist of documents required with your Application for Registration is included as part of the application form.

The Board cannot accept uncertified copies of any official documents.

The Board will acknowledge (by email) receipt of your application form within 10 working days of receipt in the Board’s office. The Board will not process your application until all documentation has been received. Applicants should allow two to three months for assessment, although at peak periods this make be longer. This is calculated from the date of acknowledgment of receipt of all required documents. To be fair to applicants, no application will be fast-tracked ahead of any other.

Practising Certificate

Once an application for registration has been approved, the applicant will be advised they can apply for a Practising Certificate. To be able to practise in New Zealand, psychologists are required by law to hold a current practising certificate. Your practising certificate must then be renewed at the start of each financial year (1 April).

Certificate of Registration

A formal Certificate of Registration showing your name, scope of practice, and date of registration can be ordered from the Board. These optional certificates can be used to show clients you are a registered Psychologist but they can not be used in place of a Letter of Good Standing.

Collegial organisations

The Board encourages all psychologists to join at least one collegial/membership organisation. Examples include:

• The New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists
• The New Zealand Psychological Society
• Pasifikology
• He Paiaka Totara: Māori Psychology

Such organisations facilitate the development and maintenance of strong links to the profession, offer high quality professional development opportunities, and provide a collective link to the Board.

They also offer numerous other benefits, such as special pricing on indemnity insurance and annual conferences. Staying well connected and up-to-date on developments in the profession are key to maintaining safe, competent practice.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does my work experience count towards the 1500 hours of supervised practise required?

No, your work experience does not count towards the 1500 hours. The Board requires that your internship hours be completed as part of an accredited training programme.

What evidence is required to confirm I have completed the 1500 hours of supervised practice?

You can provided a letter directly from your University/Regulatory Board confirming you have completed the required hours or a letter from your supervisor confirming the number of hours completed and details about what the hours included.