Professional and occupational qualifications ensure that a person knows his or her trade or profession, and also demonstrates to the public that this is so.
Qualifications are governed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and taught and awarded by different education institutions including schools, polytechnics and universities.
New Zealand Qualifications Authority website
Registration Boards & Professional Bodies
In New Zealand, industry or professional boards regulate a number of occupations and professions. These boards may be regulatory bodies (established by legislation to govern their professions) or they may be voluntary organisations where membership is conditional upon satisfying board criteria.
Belonging to a profession in New Zealand may require that you have a recognised qualification in the field.
Registration Authorities - Immigration New Zealand website
Accepted Qualifications
In many cases, qualifications obtained in other countries are recognised in New Zealand. In some fields of work, such as medicine and teaching, your qualifications will need to be assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
If it is not possible to compare your qualification to a New Zealand equivalent then you may have to go through extra training.
NZQA’s Qualifications Recognition Services division works with international certifying and validating bodies in evaluating people’s overseas educational and vocational qualifications. It checks that a recognised institution has given the qualification, and that documents are not fraudulent. Users must pay for this service.
Some industries will have their own system of assessing qualifications and may not require you to have your qualifications assessed by NZQA.
Before leaving your home country, you should be aware of what your trade or profession’s qualification requirements are in New Zealand.
