NZNew Zealand

CPD and learning for New Zealand health practitioners

Online ethics and professionalism CPD for doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists and allied practitioners in Aotearoa, organised by your responsible authority and built on New Zealand law: the HPCA Act, the HDC Code of Rights and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

Who these courses are for

Our New Zealand courses are for anyone on a register under the HPCA Act: doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists and the wider oral health team, pharmacists, and the practitioners registered by the other responsible authorities under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the HPCA Act). Choose your regulator below to see how your recertification programme works and which courses fit it.

Facing a complaint, a competence review or a Professional Conduct Committee? Start with our plain-language guide to fitness to practise in New Zealand.

How CPD and complaints work in New Zealand, at a glance

Every registered practitioner holds registration in a scope of practice and an annual practising certificate (APC). Under section 41 of the HPCA Act, each of the 18 responsible authorities sets a recertification programme to make sure practitioners stay competent. The details differ a lot: the Nursing Council counts practice and professional development hours over a rolling three years, the Dental Council has no minimum hours but asks for a peer, a professional development plan (PDP) and written reflection, and the Pharmacy Council asks for learning goals, a critical reflection and verifier sign-off every year.

Two pieces of law sit over every profession. The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights gives health consumers ten rights, including the right to be fully informed (Right 6), to give informed consent (Right 7) and to complain (Right 10). The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) enforces it. The HPCA Act then decides what happens to your registration: competence reviews, health processes, Professional Conduct Committees (PCCs) and, for the most serious matters, charges before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (HPDT).

That is why our courses teach the same codes your regulator, the HDC and the Tribunal actually use, rather than generic overseas material.

Recent and upcoming changes to watch

  • Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill (introduced 18 May 2026): gives the Minister of Health more powers to direct regulators and creates a faster review route for registration decisions. It is still before Parliament and is not law; current HPCA Act processes still apply.
  • Nursing Council standards of competence for RNs and ENs, built on six pou: used for APCs and recertification audits from 1 April 2025, and for all other purposes, including PDRPs, from 1 January 2026.
  • Physician associates: the Medical Council of New Zealand regulates physician associates from 1 October 2026.
  • Health information privacy: new rule 3A of the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (notifying people when their information is collected from someone else) has applied since 1 May 2026.

We review course content against official sources when rules change. Content on this site was checked in October 2026.

12 courses built on New Zealand law and codes

Our catalogue covers the ethics and professionalism topics that matter most for recertification and that come up most often in complaints: probity, professional boundaries, ethics, professionalism, open disclosure, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, record keeping, responding to a complaint, insight, reflective practice and remediation. Eleven courses are 3 CPD hours (NZ$139) and Reflective Practice is 2 CPD hours (NZ$109).

Each one is anchored in what applies here: the Code of Rights, the HPCA Act, the Privacy Act 2020 and Health Information Privacy Code 2020, HDC open disclosure guidance, plus whatever your own regulator expects, from the Medical Council's Good medical practice to the Nursing Council Code of Conduct. Te Tiriti o Waitangi, cultural safety and the place of whānau in care run through the material. See all courses.

How each course works

  1. Enrol online and start straight away. Courses are self-paced, so you can study between shifts and pick up where you left off.
  2. Work through the sections, each with New Zealand scenarios and short knowledge checks.
  3. Sit the closing 20-question test. You need at least 16 right (80%).
  4. Complete a structured reflective account and download your Fitness To Practice certificate showing the course title and CPD hours.
  5. Add it to your records: your PDP, MyRecert, your Inpractice or college portfolio, or your recertification audit evidence, if it fits your plan and scope.

Our independence and its limits

In New Zealand we are simply an independent course provider. No responsible authority, HDC, HPDT or professional body stands behind our courses through accreditation, approval or endorsement, and we hold no ties to any of them. From our research, the RAs here do not accredit outside courses for general use; what their programmes recognise is relevant learning you have planned in your PDP and then reflected on. So you may be able to use our courses towards your recertification where they are relevant to your PDP and scope, but we never claim a credit value or council approval.

Where an RA or the HPDT has required you to complete a competence programme, recertification programme or other education, our courses only count if that body agrees; ask your regulator, supervisor or lawyer first. No course can secure a particular outcome, and ours are not legal advice. Facing a complaint? Your indemnity insurer, a lawyer, your professional association or a union such as NZNO can advise on your own case.

Questions from New Zealand

Do I need to choose a course for my profession, or are the courses shared?

The courses are shared across professions because the Code of Rights, the HPCA Act and the privacy rules apply to everyone. Inside each course we point to the standards of your own responsible authority, such as Medical Council statements, the Nursing Council Code of Conduct, the Dental Council Standards Framework or the Pharmacy Council Code of Ethics, so the learning still fits your scope and code.

Will these hours be accepted by my responsible authority?

No New Zealand responsible authority we found accredits third-party courses for general use, and each one decides what counts in its own programme. Many count relevant learning you have planned in your PDP and reflected on. Check your programme rules, record the course against your goals, and keep your certificate and reflective account in case you are selected for audit.

Is the content written for Aotearoa, or adapted from overseas courses?

It is written for New Zealand. Courses use the HPCA Act, HDC process, the Code of Rights, the Privacy Act 2020 and HIPC 2020, HQSC adverse events policy and New Zealand regulator standards. They use New Zealand terms such as responsible authority, APC, PCC and open disclosure, and avoid UK or Australian concepts that do not apply here.

Can a practice, hospital team or employer buy courses for several staff?

Yes. If you want several places for staff, a clinical team or a training programme, send us a message through the contact page with the courses and number of learners you need. We can set up group enrolment so each practitioner gets their own login, assessment and certificate for their records.

What happens if I do not pass the final assessment first time?

The pass mark is 80%, which means 16 of the 20 questions. If you fall short, review the sections linked to the questions you found hard and try again. The aim is genuine understanding, so the questions test how you would apply the codes in realistic New Zealand situations rather than recall of definitions.

I have just received an HDC letter. Where should I start?

Read the letter carefully, note any deadline, and contact your indemnity insurer, union or a lawyer before you reply. Our guide to fitness to practise in New Zealand explains each stage from HDC to the Tribunal. Our Responding to a Complaint course can help you write a calm, honest response, but it is not legal advice and cannot promise any outcome.

Official sources

Checked October 2026. Rules and processes change, so confirm the current position with the official source. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Start learning today

Enrol online, study at your own pace on any device, and download your certificate the day you pass.