Rēhita Ihuputa o Aotearoa | Aotearoa New Zealand Graduate Registration
Ngā mōhiohio rēhitatanga | Registration information
It is important that graduates prepare for registration, as there are a number of requirements that must be fulfilled. Before they can be registered, all Aotearoa New Zealand graduates must:
- complete their programme of education
- satisfy Te Tatau o te Whare Kahu | Midwifery Council (the Council) that they are fit for registration
- declare any mental or physical condition that will prevent them from performing the functions required of a midwife
- have sufficient ability to communicate in and comprehend English to protect the health and safety of the public
- pass the National Midwifery Examination set by the Council
Completion of programme of education
The Head of School will provide the Council with confirmation as to whether each graduate is competent and fit to be registered. They do this by completing the Head of School Confirmation, which confirms that the graduate has met the competencies for entry to the register of midwives. They also declare that, in their opinion, each graduate is fit and of good character to be entered onto the register. Each head of school will also provide the Council with a copy of the transcript from the programme of education. The transcript of each successful graduate from a degree programme should include completion of all theoretical and clinical requirements.
Fitness to practise
The Council must be satisfied of each graduate’s fitness to practise.
The Council will ask each graduate to disclose any convictions and to consent to New Zealand Police | Nga Pirihimana o Aotearoa vetting when they apply to be registered. Graduates who have lived overseas will need to request a policy vet/criminal conviction history from each country they have lived in for over 12 months when they were over 18 years old. Please see how to request this point 3. under the New Zealand Graduate Registration Process below.
If the graduate has been convicted of an offence, the Council will consider factors such as the nature of the offence and the circumstances surrounding it, the penalty imposed, the time passed, and any discernible pattern of offending before deciding if the conviction impacts on the graduate’s fitness for registration.
The Council will also ask each graduate to disclose any physical or mental health issues that could affect their ability to practise as a midwife. Further information may be required. Again, the Council will consider all matters before making a decision and the graduate may be invited to meet with the Council to discuss their circumstances. The graduate will not be refused registration without being given the opportunity to discuss their application with the Council.
English language requirements
Graduates for registration need to be able to:
- communicate effectively for the purposes of practising within the Midwifery Scope of Practice; and
- communicate in and comprehend English sufficiently to protect the health and safety of the public.
If English is not a graduate’s first spoken language, the graduate will need to provide evidence that their ability to communicate in and comprehend English is sufficient to practise effectively and to protect the health and safety of the public.
“First spoken language” means the language the graduate spoke first. It does not mean the graduate’s current primary language or the language they now speak the most.
Prior to entering a school of midwifery, the graduate should have completed an English language assessment. Graduates can seek an exemption from sitting an English language assessment but need to apply before they start their midwifery degree. Graduates are asked to provide documentation of their assessment result, or the exemption. Graduates unable to provide that documentation may be asked to complete an assessment and meet the required standards. The two tests that the Council accepts are IELTS academic module or OET.
The required level for the IELTS test is an overall score of 7.0. That needs to include a minimum score of 6.5 in both writing and reading, and a minimum of 7.0 in both speaking and listening. Graduates may attempt a number of sittings not more than 12 months apart, however any qualifying scores counting toward entry must be obtained in the same test. The OET test must provide evidence of a pass, being either A or B in each section, and can be achieved over a number of sittings not more than 12 months apart, however any qualifying scores counting towards entry must be obtained in the same test.
This standard may, instead, be met by completion of at least three years of secondary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand. Graduates are asked to provide their NCEA/International Baccalaureate/Cambridge results. The applicant needs to apply to Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa | New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for a Record of Achievement (ROA) pdf for NCEA results as the Council can verify this directly from their website.
Any other English proficiency exemption will only be considered under exceptional circumstances. Such exemption applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must include evidence that the graduate reaches the required standard of proficiency rather than being an application to waive the standard.
National Midwifery Examination
In order to sit the National Midwifery Exam, each NZ graduate must apply to the exam provider, Aspeq, to book their exam. Exams can be sat within ten calendar days following formal completion of the programme of education, and once the school has notified the Council that the graduate has successfully completed the programme of education. Formal completion does not mean graduation.
A failure to provide all the necessary documentation for registration within 10 calendar days before sitting the National Midwifery Exam could mean that the graduate is withdrawn from their booked sitting. The Council will not make the decision to withdraw a graduate without contacting them first and giving them the opportunity to fulfill any requirements.
Supporting information
While the Council will allow graduates to upload supporting identity documents electronically, the exact physical certified copies need to be sent to the Council for confirmation purposes. The certified copies of documents will be securely returned to the graduate once their registration has been processed. Uploaded copies will be retained in each graduate’s registration file.
The Council considers each application for registration on an individual basis and may require further information to support an application. The Council aims to register graduates as soon as possible after they have met all the requirements and provided all the necessary information for registration. Delays in sending the required information can lead to delays in processing applications.
New Zealand graduate registration process
It is important that you prepare for registration as there are a number of requirements that must be fulfilled.
How do I apply for registration?
Students must only complete application after receiving an email inviting them to apply to sit the National Midwifery Exam and to complete their application for registration as a midwife. Applications for registration are completed through the MyMCANZ portal, found on our website.
You are able to login and commence your application, then save your details while you collate the information that is required. Your application will not be processed until you have paid the required fees.
The following is a list of the documents that are required for a registration application:
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Certified copies of two different forms of identity
The Council must assure itself of your identity. The Evidence of Identity document describes the types of identity documentation that the Council will accept. The Council will only accept certification from lawyers, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, or another person authorised to take a statutory declaration.
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Consent form for New Zealand police vetting
Please download the Request and Consent form, complete it, and then submit it as part of your application. If you are disclosing a conviction, then please complete the Statement on criminal conviction and upload it as part of your application.
The Police vetting from New Zealand Police | Nga Pirihimana o Aotearoa can take up to 20 working days. Please allow this time when submitting the Request and Consent form.
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Police checks from every country that you have lived in for more than one year from the age of 18 years
- Click HERE to go to the Fit2Work website portal and request a police report from the Australian Federal Police.
- Click HERE to go to the Fit2Work website portal and request any other police report(s).
Fit2 Work will send the report(s) directly to the Council.
If Fit2Work is unable to provide a police report for a country you have resided for a period of 12 months or more from the age of 18 years, you will need to go to the New Zealand Immigration website to obtain a relevant police certificate that is of the standard acceptable to the Council. Applicants are advised that these police checks must be sent to the Council directly from the issuing authority.
If you do not follow this process the Council may not accept your evidence of police vetting.
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Two references, one from a midwife you have worked with in clinical practice, and one from a person of good standing in the community
Please download the Reference Forms, give one to each of your referees to complete, and ask them to return their completed Reference Form directly to the Council. Instructions for completion are on each Reference Form.
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A medical report
Please download the form, provide it to your doctor, and ask them to send it directly to the Council. If you are disclosing a health condition, then please complete the Health Status Disclosure Statement and upload that as part of your application.
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A letter of good standing from a regulatory authority if you are currently registered as a health professional
If you are registered as a health professional in New Zealand or any other country, you must provide a letter of good standing from that regulatory authority. That letter must be sent directly to the Council from the regulatory authority.
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Evidence of English language proficiency, if English is not your first spoken language
Please upload the results that you used to gain entry into your programme of education.
Information correct as at 8 June 2023