Health Workforce Regulation Overhaul to Cut Wait Times and Boost Patient Access

Patients in New Zealand are set to benefit from faster access to healthcare under sweeping reforms announced by Health Minister Simeon Brown. The Government is moving to modernise the country’s health workforce regulation, aiming to reduce bureaucratic delays, speed up recognition of overseas qualifications, and ensure regulators are more accountable to patients and the system as a whole.

Tackling Delays in the Health System

Minister Brown said outdated and fragmented regulation is contributing to long wait times and unnecessary barriers for both patients and professionals. “Outdated and bureaucratic red tape is holding back our health workforce and keeping patients waiting too long for care. These changes are about putting patients first,” he explained.

At present, 18 separate health workforce regulators operate independently, with little coordination or accountability. The Government says this fragmented system limits efficiency and makes it harder to ensure that New Zealand has enough doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals to meet growing demand.

Streamlined Regulation and Overseas Recognition

A central feature of the reforms is streamlining the process for recognising overseas qualifications. Health professionals trained abroad often face lengthy waits before being allowed to practise in New Zealand. The new approach is designed to cut through delays, ensuring qualified professionals can begin working sooner, alleviating workforce shortages, and easing pressure on hospitals and clinics.

“Regulatory decisions directly affect how many doctors, nurses, and other health professionals are available to patients,” Mr Brown said. “These changes aim to speed up access to care and support new ways of delivering health services, while keeping patient safety front and centre.”

Giving Patients a Stronger Voice

The reforms will introduce clearer accountability mechanisms, giving patients more influence over how health workforce regulation operates. The Government will now be able to set expectations across the regulatory system, ensuring that regulators’ priorities are better aligned with patient needs and system-wide workforce goals.

“Right now, patients and the Government have almost no way to ensure 18 different regulators are working in the same direction. These changes give patients a voice and let us set clear expectations across the system,” Mr Brown said.

Alignment with Australia

The new framework is designed to bring New Zealand into closer alignment with Australia, where Health Ministers already have the authority to guide regulators to ensure workforce needs are considered. This model has been credited with making Australia’s health system more agile in responding to shortages and evolving models of care.

New Zealand’s reforms will similarly allow Ministers to set expectations for workforce planning, innovation, and integration across the health system, while leaving clinical standards and scopes of practice firmly in the hands of professional regulators.

Safeguarding Patient Safety

Minister Brown stressed that patient safety remains paramount. “The responsibility for setting clinical standards and scopes of practice will always be with regulatory authorities who will continue to be responsible for maintaining patient safety. This is about making sure the system is joined up, responsive, and working for patients.”

Building a Workforce for the Future

The Government hopes that the reforms will improve New Zealand’s ability to attract, train, and retain health professionals at a time of ongoing workforce shortages. With an ageing population and rising healthcare demand, the changes are intended to ensure patients receive timely, high-quality care without unnecessary delays.

“By listening to patients and setting system-wide expectations, we’ll make it easier to attract, train, and retain the workforce New Zealand needs to deliver access to timely, quality care,” Mr Brown concluded.