What are the regulations around UK GPs working in New Zealand?

The immigration requirements for working in New Zealand are fairly straightforward, but it pays to know the details. In the fourth part of a five-part series based on a new guide by Pulse, Rachel Carter finds out what UK GPs need to do pre-arrival – and the ongoing regulations once you are there

It is more straightforward than ever now for UK GPs to move to Aotearoa New Zealand (the Māori-language name for New Zealand) thanks to a fast-track registration pathway introduced by the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) in late 2024.

The pathway is open to general practice, as well as other specialties, including emergency medicine, psychiatry, anaesthesia, and dermatology. It leads to provisional vocational registration and the MCNZ aims to process applications within 20 working days.

You must meet the following criteria to apply:

• Hold an acceptable primary medical degree from a recognised medical school;
• Have an approved overseas postgraduate medical qualification;
• Intend to practise in New Zealand general practice;
• Have a minimum of 24 months’ clinical experience in UK general practice in the past five years, working at 0.5 FTE or more, including 12 months within the 18 months immediately prior to application; and
• Have a job offer in New Zealand.

The MCNZ also offers a general registration pathway, designed for junior doctors who wish to work in the country as a non-specialist. The Competent Authority Pathway is available to UK and Irish graduates who hold a primary medical degree from an approved medical school and have completed their internship within the UK or Ireland. You will be expected to meet the regulator’s fitness for registration requirements, which include good command of the English language and no health conditions that would affect your ability to practise medicine.

One other route worth noting is the Comparable Health System Pathway, which is available to GPs who did not complete their medical degree in the UK, but have work experience there. To apply, one of the requirements is that you must have practised clinically in UK general practice (or another comparable health system) for at least 33 months in the 48 months prior to application.

Regardless of which route you take, any international doctor coming into New Zealand can only start on provisional registration. You will progress to full registration only after completing a period of supervision, which is typically six months for UK GPs. This is to support doctors in familiarising themselves with the New Zealand health system and the practice standards expected of them.

Some doctors may also work under a locum tenens scope of practice, which allows short-term clinical work under specific conditions and for defined periods of time.

After the MCNZ approves registration, you will receive a letter of eligibility, which can be used to support your visa application. GPs are listed on New Zealand’s Green Tier list of in-demand roles, which means if aged 55 or under, you can apply for the straight to residence visa. Applicants must be of an acceptable standard of health and meet character requirements. Residence can be applied for on or offshore and can include your partner and children.

Another option is the accredited employer working visa, a temporary visa for up to five years. This visa is restricted to an employment contract of at least 30 hours a week with a single employer, in a specific region of the country. A GP with this visa can support applications for their partner and children.

Both options, and all registration pathways, require a confirmed job offer in New Zealand.

Ongoing regulation, training and CPD

Like the GMC, the MCNZ oversees fitness to practise and investigates concerns about professional conduct and competence. Meanwhile, the Health and Disability Commissioner is an independent watchdog that protects patient rights. It does have the power to investigate doctors, but must notify the Council when it intends to do so.

The MCNZ sets the CPD requirements for doctors, which are generally a minimum of 50 hours per year. CPD material must be endorsed by the RNZCGP and there are two routes of logging your activity – GPs can either join the College or use the Best Practice Advocacy Centre (BPAC). Junior doctors who come through the general registration pathway can only use BPAC. 

All UK GPs moving to New Zealand must undertake mandatory cultural training to ensure they have an understanding of Māori and Pacific health, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and health equity. At least a quarter of annual CPD must focus on this cultural and equity aspect, says Dr Luke Bradford, president of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs (RNZCGP), who moved over from the UK in 2010.

GPs who choose to work rurally will often be provided with additional training, including educational courses on emergency response and high-level trauma medicine.

While there is not a direct equivalent to the UK’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in New Zealand, an online manual called HealthPathways was established in 2008. This is used by GPs to assess, manage and initiate referrals for over 600 conditions. It is not considered traditional guidelines, but instead “an agreement between primary and specialist services on how patients with particular conditions will be managed in the local context’. A range of national and international guidelines are also endorsed on an individual basis.

College fellowship

UK-trained GPs who are members or fellows of the UK Royal College of GPs can apply for RNZCGP’s Prior Specialist Training Pathway to Fellowship. You will need to hold a practising certificate in a general or vocational scope of practice with the MCNZ and have a current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certificate. Once enrolled in the pathway, you will be expected to undertake cultural training, have demonstrable clinical time in New Zealand, and be assessed at a practice visit.

It is worth noting that some doctors enter general practice roles under supervision before formal training, often referred to as non-trainee registrar roles. These roles require an appropriate level of clinical supervision and are best suited to practices with the capacity and experience to support doctors at this stage of their careers.

Now you know what is needed, you might want to decide where to go. The final part of the series will focus on the lifestyles in the North and South Islands . You can download the full report here