On this page
Who these remediation courses are for
Most New Zealand pages about complaints are written for the person making one. These courses are written for the practitioner receiving one. They suit you if you hold, or are applying to restore, registration with a responsible authority under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and something has gone wrong, or someone believes it has.
- A letter from the Health and Disability Commissioner asking for your response to a complaint under the Code of Rights.
- A notification to your council or board from a patient, a colleague, an employer or the HDC.
- An educational letter or recommended learning after a triage decision.
- A competence review or competence programme, where you want structured study around the areas identified.
- A Professional Conduct Committee investigation, where your adviser has suggested showing learning before the committee meets.
- An employer investigation or a serious event review that has not reached your regulator but may.
- Conditions on your scope of practice or a return after suspension, where you want to rebuild knowledge and confidence.
None of this means you have been found at fault. Many concerns close with no further action or with a learning outcome. Starting focused study early is simply a way to take the concern seriously and to have something concrete to show when you are asked what you have done since.
Start with the core remediation set
Whatever your profession, six courses sit at the centre of almost every response. Each profession page then adds two courses built around that profession's own code: an ethics course and a professional standards course.
- Responding to a Complaint explains the HDC, responsible authority and PCC stages and how to write a factual, measured response.
- Insight shows what genuine understanding of a concern looks like, and how to show it without sounding scripted or defensive.
- Reflective Practice gives you a structure for writing about what happened, what you learned and what you now do differently.
- Remediation After a Concern turns the concern into a learning plan with measurable steps and evidence.
- Preventing Recurrence focuses on the systems, habits and safeguards that stop the same thing happening again.
- Rebuilding Trust covers repairing relationships with patients, whānau, colleagues, employers and your regulator.
If you are unsure where to begin, start with the complaint course and the insight course. They help you understand the process and your own position before you choose topic courses.
RecommendedStart with these
Remediation courses by profession
Every responsible authority works under the same Act, but each has its own code, its own standards and its own way of triaging concerns. The profession pages below name the right body, map the courses to that body's code and suggest a set for each type of concern.
- Doctors: Medical Council of New Zealand, Good medical practice, Notifications Triage Team, Performance Assessment Committee.
- Nurses: Nursing Council of New Zealand, the Code of Conduct for Nurses and the 2025 standards of competence.
- Midwives: Midwifery Council (Te Tatau o te Whare Kahu), its Code of Conduct and its educative competence reviews.
- Dentists and oral health practitioners: Dental Council and the Standards Framework for Oral Health Practitioners.
- Pharmacists: Pharmacy Council and the Code of Ethics 2018.
- Psychologists: Psychologists Board, including its new Code of Conduct from 1 October 2026.
- Physiotherapists: Physiotherapy Board and the joint Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
- Optometrists and dispensing opticians: Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board.
- Osteopaths: Osteopathic Council.
- Chiropractors: Chiropractic Board.
If your profession is regulated by one of the other HPCA Act authorities, such as the Paramedic Council, the Occupational Therapy Board or the Dietitians Board, the core set and the general ethics and professionalism courses still apply. Our guide to Professional Conduct Committee investigations covers the shared process.
Or choose by the concern raised
Regulators and committees look at the substance of a concern, not the label on the complaint. Find the group that best matches what was raised, then take the recommended courses in that group alongside the core set.
| Concern group | Typical examples | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics and ethical conduct | Consent not properly obtained, harm not disclosed, care that ignored cultural needs | Your profession's ethics course, informed consent, open disclosure |
| Professionalism, conduct and attitude | Rudeness, poor teamwork, dismissive communication, online posts | Your profession's standards course, communication, teamwork |
| Probity, honesty and financial integrity | Altered notes, inaccurate certificates or declarations, billing concerns | Probity, financial integrity, documentation |
| Professional boundaries | Personal or sexual relationships, gifts, social media contact, treating whānau | Professional boundaries, chaperones, social media |
| Clinical care, prescribing and records | Missed deterioration, medication errors, poor notes, working outside scope | Clinical competence, prescribing or medication safety, documentation |
| Notification, investigation and Tribunal process | Responding to the HDC, a PCC or a charge; returning after conditions | The core set |
Concerns often overlap. A medication error that was not recorded honestly sits in both the clinical group and the probity group, and a response that deals with only one half can look incomplete.
RecommendedStart with these
Further relevantAdd if they fit the concern
How a concern moves through the New Zealand system
New Zealand has one shared framework for all regulated health professions, with a few moving parts. Knowing which body you are dealing with tells you what it can and cannot do.
The Health and Disability Commissioner
If a complaint says your practice or conduct affected a health consumer, your responsible authority must pass it to the HDC first. The HDC may close it, refer it back to you to resolve with help from the Health and Disability Advocacy Service, make recommendations such as an apology or education, or open a formal investigation that ends in a breach or no-breach opinion. Serious breaches can go to the Director of Proceedings.
Your responsible authority
The council or board triages the concern as a matter of competence, health or conduct. It can make inquiries, send an educational letter, order a competence review, refer a health matter to its health process, or refer conduct to a Professional Conduct Committee. Where there is a risk of serious harm it can suspend you or add interim conditions, and you are entitled to be heard.
The Professional Conduct Committee
A PCC is usually two members of your profession and one layperson. It investigates and can recommend action to the authority, refer the matter to conciliation, decide that no further steps are needed, or lay a charge before the Tribunal.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal
The HPDT hears charges laid by a PCC or the Director of Proceedings. It can censure, fine, impose conditions such as supervision or education for up to three years, suspend for up to three years, or cancel registration.
For a full step-by-step account, see our guide to fitness to practise in New Zealand.
How to choose your courses: five questions
- What exactly was raised? Use the words in the letter, not your own summary. Match each allegation to a concern group.
- Which standard will you be measured against? Your profession's code and any specific statement, guideline or practice standard. Your profession page lists the main ones.
- What does your adviser recommend? Your indemnity insurer, union, professional association or lawyer may suggest specific learning, or suggest waiting. Follow their advice on timing.
- Is there an order or programme already in place? If a competence programme, conditions or a Tribunal order specify education, the authority, Tribunal or supervisor decides what counts. Ask before you enrol.
- How much is enough? Two to four targeted courses that match the concern, plus a reflection that links them to your practice, usually read better than a long list of unrelated certificates.
What committees and authorities tend to look for
New Zealand does not have a single statutory definition of insight, but decision makers keep returning to the same themes. Penalty decisions follow principles set out by the High Court in Roberts v Professional Conduct Committee [2012] NZHC 3354, which include protecting the public, maintaining standards, rehabilitating the practitioner where possible and choosing the least restrictive response that is adequate.
- Understanding: do you see what went wrong and why it mattered to the patient or whānau?
- Ownership: do you accept your part without minimising it or blaming others?
- Remediation: what have you actually done, and can someone else check it?
- Risk of repetition: what has changed in your practice, systems or supports?
- Openness: were you honest with the patient, your employer and the regulator from the start?
- Records: are your notes accurate, contemporaneous and unaltered?
How online study works
- Instant access after purchase, on any device, so you can start the same day.
- Self-paced modules with New Zealand law, codes and worked examples, plus short knowledge checks.
- 2 to 3 hours (estimated) per course; record the time in your own recertification records where it fits your plan.
- A 20-question final assessment with an 80% pass mark (16 out of 20).
- A Fitness To Practice certificate of completion showing the course and its estimated learning time.
- A structured reflective account template that helps you link the learning to your own practice.
- Private study. We do not contact your regulator or employer. You decide who sees your certificate.
Looking after yourself during a process
Being the subject of a complaint is one of the most stressful experiences in a health career. You do not have to manage it alone.
- Free call or text 1737 any time to talk with a trained counsellor through Need to talk? (1737.org.nz).
- Your own GP, especially if sleep, mood or concentration are affected.
- Your indemnity insurer, union or professional association for advice about the process, and a lawyer for anything involving a PCC, interim conditions or a charge.
- A trusted colleague or supervisor who can talk through the clinical issues confidentially.
Ready to start?
Choose your profession page for a tailored set, or browse the full catalogue of New Zealand courses.
Questions
What is a remediation course for a New Zealand health practitioner?
It is a focused piece of learning taken after a concern has been raised about your practice or conduct. The aim is to understand the standard involved, show what you have learned and reduce the chance of the same problem happening again. In New Zealand, remediation can be voluntary, recommended in an educational letter, or required as part of a competence programme or Tribunal order.
Do I need to wait until my regulator tells me to do a course?
No. Many practitioners start learning as soon as they understand what the concern is, because it shows they are taking it seriously. Your adviser may still suggest a particular timing, for example after you have drafted your factual response. Follow their advice, and make sure any course you choose matches the actual concern rather than general professional development.
Which responsible authorities do these courses cover?
We have dedicated pages for doctors, nurses, midwives, dental and oral health practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, optometrists and dispensing opticians, osteopaths and chiropractors. The core courses and general ethics and professionalism courses are written for any practitioner registered under the HPCA Act, so they also suit paramedics, occupational therapists and other regulated professions.
How many remediation courses should I take?
Usually two to four courses that match the concern, plus the insight or reflection course, are enough to show focused learning. A long list of unrelated certificates rarely helps and can look like box-ticking. Quality matters more: complete each course properly and write a reflection that explains how your practice has changed.
Can a course change the outcome of an HDC investigation or PCC?
No course can promise an outcome, and we never suggest otherwise. Decision makers weigh the facts, the seriousness of the concern and the risk to the public. Evidence of genuine learning and changed practice is one factor they can consider, alongside your response, your records and any reports from employers or supervisors.
Will Fitness To Practice tell my regulator or employer that I enrolled?
No. Your enrolment, assessment results and reflection are private. We do not send anything to a responsible authority, the HDC, a PCC or an employer. You download your certificate and decide, with your adviser, whether and how to include it in a response.
What is the difference between remediation and a competence programme?
A competence programme is a formal order made by a responsible authority after a competence review, with set content, supervision and reporting. Remediation is a wider idea: any structured learning and change that addresses a concern. Our courses are voluntary remediation and can support, but not replace, a programme set by an authority.
Does a remediation course count towards my recertification hours?
Where the learning is relevant to your scope and development plan, you can usually record the time in your own recertification records, since most authorities count relevant learning rather than approved courses. Each certificate states the estimated learning time; record the time you actually spend. Check your own authority's rules, because they differ between professions.
I have an educational letter. Is that a finding against me?
An educational letter is generally a low-level outcome used when a concern does not need formal action but there are learnings to consider. It is not a disciplinary finding. Treat it seriously, read what it recommends, and keep a record of the learning you complete in case the issue is raised again or a similar concern arises.
What should my written reflection include?
Describe what happened briefly and factually, what standard applied, what you understand now that you did not before, the impact on the patient or whānau, and the specific changes you have made. De-identify patients. Assume it could be read by others, and ask your adviser before you share it with anyone.
I am a practitioner from overseas. Do these courses use New Zealand law?
Yes. Every course is written for New Zealand practice: the HPCA Act, the HDC Act and Code of Rights, the Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy Code, your profession's code and relevant statements. We avoid overseas terms that have no meaning here, so you are learning the standards you will actually be measured against.
How long do I have to complete a course?
Access starts immediately and you can study at your own pace. Most practitioners finish a course over one or two sittings. If you are working to a deadline set by your adviser or a committee date, plan to finish the course and reflection a few days early so there is time to review your writing.
Can I take the courses while I am suspended or under conditions?
Yes. Many practitioners use the time to rebuild knowledge before they return. If your conditions or a Tribunal order set out specific education, ask the authority or your supervisor first whether our courses fit those terms, and keep your certificates together with any other evidence of learning.
What if the complaint is about something I believe I did correctly?
You can still respond fully and factually and, if your adviser agrees, explain why you believe your care met the standard. Studying the relevant standard can help you explain your reasoning clearly. Remediation is not an admission. It shows you have reflected carefully, which is useful whatever the 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.
- Ministry of Health: Responsible authorities
- HPCA Act 2003, s 100 grounds for discipline
- HDC: Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights
- HDC: Complaint process
- HDC: What if a complaint is made about me?
- Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal: About us
- Medical Council: Conduct and competence concerns
- Dental Council: Complaints and notifications
- 1737 Need to talk?
How these courses are built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: the HPCA Act 2003, the responsible authorities' standards and the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.