Continuing competence
Tohungatanga haere tonu

The role of the Nursing Council is to protect the health and safety of the public by setting standards and ensuring nurses are competent and fit to practise under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

The Council:

  • sets continuing competence requirements for nurses to meet (including nurses working in non-clinical roles)
  • requires a declaration of continuing competence from each nurse applying for their annual practising certificate, and
  • selects five percent of practising nurses annually for recertification audit.

Continuing competence requirements*

As a practising nurse, you must:

  • complete a minimum of 450 hours (60 full-time working days) of practise during the previous 36 months
  • complete a minimum of 60 hours of professional development relevant to your scope of practice during the previous 36 months and
  • meet the Nursing Council's standards of competence for your scope of practice.

See standards of competence for enrolled nurses and registered nurses.

For nurse practitioners, see nurse practitioners. 

The Nursing Council defines the term ‘practising’ here. Use this definition to determine whether you have met the minimum requirement for practice hours.

The Nursing Council and the public expect that all nurses will continue to learn and to maintain their competence. Your employer may provide you with opportunities for professional development or competence assessment, but your employer is not accountable to the Nursing Council – you are. This means that you are responsible for seeking professional development opportunities.

Your minimum of 60 hours of professional development during the previous three years (for continuing competence) may take place as whole days or as hours and may be set within your work environment or an educational context. Your professional development should:

  • Be relevant and appropriate to your scope of practice, development as a nurse, and your work context.
  • Include more professional development than the mandatory or core training required by your employer.

Professional development activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Learning activities such as degree courses, short courses, seminars, conferences, in-service education, professional supervision or online learning. You may count your New Zealand nursing qualification education as professional development, if it took place during the previous three years.
  • Journal reading if it takes place within a formal framework such as a journal club, a presentation to colleagues, or to inform an educational or quality improvement process.
  • Meetings if they have an educational focus and include appropriate documentation (for example, minutes that clearly identify the education topic).

You may wish to record your professional development using:

To practise safely, you must meet the standards of competence for your scope of practice

See standards of competence for enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

Annual declaration

When you apply for your APC you must declare whether you meet continuing competence requirements for your scope of practice, i.e. whether you have achieved the minimum practice hours and minimum professional development hours and are competent to practise.

As a nurse, you are professionally responsible for meeting these requirements. You are expected to reflect each year on whether you meet the standards of competence at the time you make the declaration for your APC.

Your APC declaration confirms that the information you are providing is true and correct. If you supply false or misleading information, the Nursing Council can decline to issue you with an annual practising certificate.

What happens if I haven't met continuing competence requirements?

If you have not met all the continuing competence requirements, the Nursing Council will consider your application for an APC on its individual merits, and conditions may be applied.

If either of the following apply, the Nursing Council may issue your APC with a condition.

  • You have not completed the minimum 450 hours of practice during the previous three years.
  • You practised more than three years ago, but less than five years ago.

Conditions may include you completing one or more of the following within a stated time:

  • A competence assessment against the Nursing Council competencies.
  • An orientation programme carried out by your employer.

If you practised five years or longer ago, see Returning to practice.

If you have not completed 60 hours of acceptable professional development during the last three years, the Nursing Council may issue your APC with a condition that you complete professional development hours within a stated time.

If you indicate that you do not meet the standards of competence set by the Nursing Council for your scope of practice, the Nursing Council will contact you to discuss your situation and any conditions that may apply to your APC.

If you were selected for audit and/or had conditions applied to your scope of practice prior to 1 April 2025, please contact Jackie Joseph on (04) 802 1321 or [email protected]