New Zealand's health workforce legislation under review.
The New Zealand government is reviewing the country's health workforce legislation to prioritize patient care, according to Health Minister Simeon Brown. The review will consider key matters including prioritizing patient voices in regulatory decisions, reducing red tape for accessible healthcare, and streamlining regulatory decision making.
Mr. Brown stated that current regulations can be overly bureaucratic, slowing access to care, increasing costs, and hindering the attraction, training, and retention of healthcare workers. To address this, the government proposes recognizing overseas qualifications faster and establishing an Occupations Tribunal to consider appeals on decisions related to overseas qualifications.
The proposals also aim to ensure patients' voices are heard in regulatory decision making and that clinical safety is prioritized. The government is seeking feedback on how to make regulatory decisions across 18 health workforce regulatory bodies more consistent.
A consultation has opened on changes to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act, with submissions closing on April 30, 2025. New Zealanders can provide their views through the "Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation" document available at www.health.govt.nz.