What New Zealand Psychologists Board | Te Poari Kaimātai Hinengaro o Aotearoa does

The New Zealand Psychologists Board (Te Poari Kaimātai Hinengaro o Aotearoa) is a statutory regulatory authority established under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, headquartered in Wellington with a secretariat of approximately 14 staff and a nine-member Board (including two lay members). It is the sole regulator of the psychology profession in Aotearoa New Zealand, serving approximately 4,835 registered practitioners, with the mandate to protect public safety by ensuring only registered practitioners use the protected title "psychologist," maintaining a publicly accessible register, setting standards for registration and practice, and hearing complaints.

The Board operates a Psychologists Portal (an online system for registration applications, Annual Practising Certificate management, and communications) alongside a public register search portal. Core services include initial registration pathways (NZ-trained, overseas-trained, Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition), Annual Practising Certificates, the Continuing Competence Programme, competence reviews, the Raka Māui cultural competence programme for overseas-trained psychologists, complaints and discipline processes, and best practice guidelines (including updated AI guidelines published in October 2025). In August 2025 the Board approved a new Psychology Assistant scope of practice, with a postgraduate qualification framework under consultation in 2026 developed in partnership with seven New Zealand universities and Health New Zealand.

Revenue is generated through practitioner fees rather than commercial sales: recurring Annual Practising Certificate fees, one-time registration and scope application fees, non-practising register maintenance fees, programme accreditation fees (~$17,680 per review), and discipline-related levies. The Board is moving to a 100% cost recovery model for 2026/27, with proposed fee increases ranging from 2% to 110% across categories and a new one-off disciplinary levy to address rising disciplinary and legal costs. The operating model is mandatory regulatory rather than market-driven; there are no shareholders, the entity is governed by an appointed Board, and accounting is to the public through statutory mandate.

Name

New Zealand Psychologists Board | Te Poari Kaimātai Hinengaro o Aotearoa

Legal name

New Zealand Psychologists Board

Website

https://psychologistsboard.org.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New Zealand Psychologists Board is the statutory regulatory authority for the psychology profession in Aotearoa New Zealand, registering approximately 4,835 practitioners, issuing Annual Practising Certificates, setting scopes of practice, and handling complaints under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Professional Regulation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

Keywords

• Psychologist registration services
• Professional regulation authority
• Health practitioner licensing
• Competence assurance programmes
• Public register verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Practising Certificate (APC) Fees: Annual fees charged to practicing psychologists for renewal of their practicing certificates. The 2026/27 year includes a one-off additional disciplinary levy due to significant rise in disciplinary-related activity and legal costs.
2. Registration Application Fees: Fees for new registration applications including NZ trained psychologists, overseas trained psychologists (prescribed and non-prescribed countries), and Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act applications. As of 2026/27, fees are moving to 100% cost recovery model.
3. Scope of Practice Application Fees: Fees for vocational scope of practice applications, neuropsychologist scope applications, and endorsement applications.
4. Accreditation Fees: Fees for conducting accreditation reviews of degree, course of study, or programme leading to registration as a psychologist. Fee is $17,680 (GST inclusive) for 2026/27.
5. Register Maintenance Fees: Fees for non-practising registrants for annual maintenance of registration and communication ($55 for 2026/27).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The New Zealand Psychologists Board is the statutory regulatory authority for the psychology profession in Aotearoa New Zealand, established under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. It regulates the profession through registration of psychologists, issuing Annual Practising Certificates (APCs), maintaining a publicly accessible register, setting scopes of practice and competence standards, accrediting training programmes, and handling complaints and disciplinary processes.

Product overview

The New Zealand Psychologists Board operates a unified regulatory platform consisting of the Psychologists Portal (for registration, APC applications, and practitioner management) and the Public Register Search (for verifying psychologist credentials). The Board maintains multiple service lines including Scopes of Practice (vocational and general psychologist scopes), the Continuing Competence Programme (CCP) for ongoing professional development, Competence Reviews for practitioners with identified concerns, and the newly approved Psychology Assistant Scope of Practice (August 2025) to expand the regulated psychology workforce. Additional services include complaints handling, Raka Māui cultural competence programme for overseas-trained psychologists, and various Best Practice Guidelines covering supervision, telepsychology, AI use, and other professional standards. The Board conducts public consultations on regulatory changes and maintains a comprehensive resource library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Psychologists Portal Secure online portal for registered psychologists to manage their registration details, apply for Annual Practising Certificates (APCs), restoration to the register, and return to practice applications.
• Public Register Search Publicly accessible online register allowing members of the public and employers to verify psychologist registration status, qualifications, scopes of practice, and current practising certificates.
• Annual Practising Certificate (APC) Annual practising certificates required for psychologists to practise legally in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1 April and 31 March each year. Includes a one-off additional disciplinary levy for 2026/27 due to rising disciplinary activity and legal costs.
• Psychology Assistant Scope of Practice Newly approved scope of practice for Psychology Assistants - a regulated role intended to work under supervision and support team-based models of care across primary, secondary, and NGO settings in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Scopes of Practice Framework Regulatory framework defining scopes of practice for psychologists including the general Psychologist scope, vocational scopes, and proposed new scopes such as Community Psychology.
• Continuing Competence Programme (CCP) Online programme enabling registered psychologists to maintain and demonstrate ongoing professional competence through self-assessment, professional development activities, and peer reflection.
• Competence Reviews Assessment process for psychologists whose competence may be in question, potentially leading to a competence programme to address identified gaps in practice.
• Raka Māui Cultural Competence Programme Cultural competence programme for overseas-trained psychologists, designed to support culturally safe practice within the Aotearoa New Zealand context and embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.
• Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence Statutory guidelines on the use of Artificial Intelligence in psychology practice, addressing practitioner accountability, AI limitations, and informed consent requirements when using AI tools.
• Complaints and Concerns Process Formal process for members of the public to raise concerns or complaints about psychologists' services, including guidance documents and a flowchart for the complaints pathway.
• Programme Accreditation Reviews Accreditation reviews of degree programmes and courses of study leading to registration as a psychologist, conducted for a fee of $17,680 (GST inclusive) for the 2026/27 year.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health New Zealand | Te Whatu OracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for workforce development and regulation of the psychology profession. Health NZ workforce modelling identified the need for additional regulated psychology workforce. The Board has been working in partnership with Health NZ to develop the Psychology Assistant scope of practice and competency framework, and to develop postgraduate courses for Psychology Assistants.
• Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with universities and tertiary providers to develop and deliver postgraduate qualifications for Psychology Assistants. The Board is working closely with TEOs to develop Board-accredited postgraduate Psychology Assistant programmes. TEOs include: Auckland University of Technology, Massey University, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, University of Waikato, and Victoria University of Wellington.
• Māori and Pacific Psychology RepresentativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Māori and Pacific psychology representatives in developing the Psychology Assistant qualification framework. Development intended to embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations, elevate mātauranga Māori and Māori models of health and wellbeing, and support culturally safe practice.
• Health Quality & Safety CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Health Quality & Safety Commission to convene a consumer group for the Psychology Assistant role consultation process.
• Professional BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with professional bodies including New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS), New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (NZCCP), and other organizations in developing regulatory frameworks and professional standards.
• People with Lived ExperiencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvolvement of people with lived experience in developing the Psychology Assistant scope of practice and competency framework to ensure consumer perspectives inform the new role.
• Tūmāia Kaiārahi (Māori Advisory Roopu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Board's Māori Advisory group that reviews feedback on competency development and provides guidance on culturally competent practice requirements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dental Council of New Zealand: Another NZ statutory authority under the HPCA Act 2003 regulating dentists; near-identical operating model including practitioner registration, APC, scopes of practice, and complaints process.
• Nursing Council of New Zealand: Peer NZ health regulatory authority established under the HPCA Act 2003; analogous registrant-base scale, scope of practice framework, APC renewal mechanics, and disciplinary processes.
• Health and Care Professions Council (UK): UK regulator of practitioner psychologists (among 15 other health professions); closely comparable registration, renewal, competence review, and discipline functions delivered at greater scale.
• College of Psychologists of Ontario: Canadian provincial regulator of psychologists with comparable mandate covering registration, scopes of practice, competence assurance, and discipline, providing a North American peer benchmark.
• Psychology Board of Australia (Ahpra): Direct counterpart regulator for psychologists in Australia operating under Ahpra; functionally identical regulatory mandate over psychology registration, APC equivalents, and scope of practice, and operates the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition pathway referenced by the subject company.
• Medical Council of New Zealand: Peer statutory authority under the same Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 that regulates doctors in New Zealand; comparable governance structure, secretariat scale, and fee/levy model.
• California Board of Psychology: US state-level psychology regulator performing the same registration, renewal, and discipline functions as the subject company at a larger jurisdictional scale.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra): Parent agency supporting 15 National Boards including the Psychology Board of Australia; offers comparable regulatory infrastructure and supports the cross-Tasman pathway relevant to the subject company.
• General Medical Council (UK): Long-established UK health profession regulator with comparable regulatory architecture (registration, fitness to practise, revalidation) but operating at much greater scale and serving the medical profession.

Regional players

• Health Professions Council of South Africa: South African multi-profession health regulator covering psychology registration and scope regulation; comparable functions delivered in a different jurisdiction with a larger professional base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-zealand-psychologists-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New Zealand Psychologists Board | Te Poari Kaimātai Hinengaro o Aotearoa