Social Workers Registration Board
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Social Workers Registration Board firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Social Workers Registration Board
- Legal name
- Social Workers Registration Board
- Website
- https://swrb.govt.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Social Workers Registration Board industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Regulation (Social Work Licensing)
- NAICS
- Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Labor, Employment Standards & Occupational Licensing Boards (BPAIAOAF)
Keywords
Where Social Workers Registration Board is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Social Workers Registration Board business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Practising Certificate Fees: Annual practising certificate fee of $540 charged to registered social workers for the right to practise. Combined with a disciplinary levy of $219, the total annual cost is $759. The fee contributes to running the regulatory activities of the Board.
- Registration Application Fees: Registration application fee of $423 for NZ-qualified applicants seeking to become registered social workers. Overseas applicants pay an additional qualification assessment fee of $635. These fees recover the costs of processing registrations.
- Competence Assessment Fees: Fees charged for competence assessments required for overseas-qualified applicants and registered social workers requiring competence reviews. Overseas applicant competence assessment fee is $1,012. Competence review fee is $540. Competence assessment fee is up to $3,330 depending on competencies involved.
- Disciplinary Levy: Annual disciplinary levy of $219 included in practising certificate renewals. This levy funds the costs of running the complaints process, Professional Conduct Committees, and the Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.
- Education Provider Fees: Fees charged to education providers seeking SWRB recognition of social work education programmes. Education programme recognition vetting fee is up to $29,900. Education programme annual fee is up to $10,350.
- Other Regulatory Fees: Return to practice application fee of $224 for social workers returning after 3+ years. Certificate of good standing or hard copy registration certificate fee of $63.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Practising Certificate - Full Year |
| Subscription | Annual | Practising Certificate - Part Year (up to 9 months) |
| Subscription | Annual | Practising Certificate - Part Year (up to 6 months) |
| Subscription | Annual | Practising Certificate - Part Year (up to 3 months) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Registration Application Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Overseas Qualification Assessment Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Provisional to Full Registration Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Overseas Competence Assessment Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Competence Review Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Competence Assessment Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Return to Practice Application Fee |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Certificate of Good Standing / Hard Copy Certificate |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Education Programme Recognition Vetting Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Education Programme Annual Fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Social Workers Registration Board product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) is the sole statutory regulator for social workers in New Zealand, established under the Social Workers Registration Act 2003. It registers social workers through multiple pathways (NZ-qualified, Australian-qualified, overseas-qualified, provisional, and former Experience Pathway Section 13), issues annual practising certificates, and enforces the Code of Conduct and Core Competence Standards. It runs a complaints and disciplinary process, maintains a public register, and operates as a workforce lead agency for the profession.
Product overview
The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) operates a unified regulatory platform for social worker registration and professional oversight in New Zealand. The core offering consists of registration services (including pathways for NZ-qualified, Australian-qualified, and overseas-qualified social workers), practising certificates, and ongoing compliance requirements. Supporting products include the Core Competence Standards, Code of Conduct, Continuing Professional Development, and Professional Supervision requirements. The MySWRB portal serves as the primary digital platform for all registration applications, practising certificate renewals, and CPD logging. The regulatory function encompasses a public register, concerns and complaints process, mandatory reporting for employers, and registration compliance enforcement. The organisation also provides educational resources and guides for social workers, employers, and the public.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Social Worker Registration Core regulatory function of registering social workers in New Zealand under the Social Workers Registration Act; only organisation authorised to do so.
- Practising Certificate
Quantifiable outcome
- 44% of New Zealand public have 'full' or 'some' trust in social workers; respondents with personal experience of social workers showed higher trust (17% full trust vs 11% without experience)
Companies that use Social Workers Registration Board
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Social Workers Registration Board technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature2 records
Social Workers Registration Board partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)coreThe SWRB recognises social work qualifications accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) as equivalent to Aotearoa New Zealand social work qualifications, providing a dedicated Australian qualification pathway for registration. Qualifications accredited by AASW are assessed to be equivalent to NZ social work qualifications for registration purposes.
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)coreSWRB requires overseas-qualified social workers to demonstrate English language competence through IELTS Academic testing. Applicants must achieve an overall band score of 7 or above with a minimum of 7 in each section (reading, listening, speaking, writing). Results are verified through the IELTS verification service.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Social Workers Registration Board competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA): National agency supporting 15 National Boards regulating health practitioners in Australia. Provides the platform layer (registration, notifications, accreditation) analogous to MySWRB for a much broader health professional base across Australia.
- General Medical Council (GMC): UK statutory regulator for doctors. Mature, established professional regulator with register, revalidation, fitness-to-practise, and education approval functions that represent a scaled-up structural analogue of SWRB's model.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC): UK statutory regulator for 15 health and care professions including social workers in England. Broader incumbent — operates a wider portfolio of professions under one umbrella with a comparable register, renewal, CPD, and fitness-to-practise model.
Direct peers
- Pharmacy Council of New Zealand: NZ statutory regulator for pharmacists with practising certificates, competence assessment, overseas pharmacist registration pathway, and education programme approval. Directly comparable NZ regulator across the same regulatory lifecycle.
- Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW): Australian peak body accrediting social work qualifications that SWRB recognises as equivalent under its Australian qualification pathway. Mutual recognition partner with directly comparable competency, conduct, and registration functions.
- Nursing Council of New Zealand: Statutory NZ regulator for nurses with annual practising certificates, competence assessment, complaints/disciplinary tribunal, education programme approval, and overseas qualification pathways. Closest analogue within NZ's health professional regulatory architecture.
- Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand: Statutory NZ regulator for the teaching profession with comparable structures: mandatory practising certificates, competence standards, code of conduct, complaints/tribunal process, and education programme approval. Most directly comparable NZ peer for operating model.
- New Zealand Psychologists Board: NZ statutory regulator for psychologists with very similar functions: registration, annual practising certificates, competence standards, complaints process, and overseas qualification assessment. Direct competitor for professional mind-share and regulatory approach benchmarking.
- Social Work England: Statutory regulator for social workers in England, with the same core functions: registration, practising certificates, fitness-to-practise, codes of conduct and standards. SWRB's mandate and operating model closely mirror Social Work England's framework.
- Medical Council of New Zealand: Statutory NZ regulator for doctors, operating an analogous register, practising certificate, fitness-to-practise, and education accreditation framework. Peer because of its identical structural model for a regulated health-adjacent profession in NZ.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Social Workers Registration Board social profiles
Digital presenceSocial Workers Registration Board financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Social Workers Registration Board leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Social Workers Registration Board funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Social Workers Registration Board M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Social Workers Registration Board
What does Social Workers Registration Board do?
The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) is the sole statutory regulator for social workers in New Zealand, established under the Social Workers Registration Act 2003. It registers social workers through multiple pathways (NZ-qualified, Australian-qualified, overseas-qualified, provisional, and former Experience Pathway Section 13), issues annual practising certificates, and enforces the Code of Conduct and Core Competence Standards. It runs a complaints and disciplinary process, maintains a public register, and operates as a workforce lead agency for the profession.
Is Social Workers Registration Board a public or private company?
Social Workers Registration Board is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Social Workers Registration Board founded?
Social Workers Registration Board was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Social Workers Registration Board based?
Social Workers Registration Board is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Social Workers Registration Board make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Practising Certificate Fees are the primary driver. The others are registration Application Fees, competence Assessment Fees, disciplinary Levy, education Provider Fees and other Regulatory Fees.
Who are Social Workers Registration Board's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), General Medical Council (GMC) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Direct peers are Pharmacy Council of New Zealand, Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), Nursing Council of New Zealand, Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand Psychologists Board, Social Work England and Medical Council of New Zealand.
Does Social Workers Registration Board have an API?
No public API is recorded for Social Workers Registration Board.
What industry is Social Workers Registration Board in?
Social Workers Registration Board's product category is Professional Regulation (Social Work Licensing). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAOAF, Labor, Employment Standards & Occupational Licensing Boards. Its NAICS code is 92615.