You are on this page as you are a pharmacist registered with the GPhC in the UK and are looking to work in New Zealand.
Most foreign pharmacists that currently practise in New Zealand are from the United Kingdom, this is closely followed by South Africa and Australia. The key steps to becoming licensed include:
1. Create a candidate portal account
The Australian Pharmacy Council’s (APC) candidate portal is responsible for overseeing the competency assessment of overseas pharmacists (CAOP). This exam assesses pharmaceutical knowledge and competence to practise in both Australia and New Zealand.
2. Register for, sit and pass the CAOP
Once the APC has affirmed your eligibility, candidates are able to register for the CAOP through the candidate portal. This is a three-hour exam made up of 105 multiple-choice questions. It is held online three times per year at test centres in Australia, New Zealand and London. Candidates will be able to select their preferred exam centre and date when registering.
The CAOP is a pass or fail exam, and the pass level for each assessment is set based on the performance of prior candidates. The APC will email candidates their result around four weeks after the exam.
Candidates have two attempts at passing the exam, after which eligibility to retake the assessment will be at the discretion of the PCNZ.
3. Apply for registration
After passing the CAOP exam, candidates have two years to apply for registration with the PCNZ.
Registration requires candidates to already have an offer of four weeks’ supervised employment from a New Zealand-registered pharmacy — the PCNZ does not assist candidates with finding employment. When applying for pharmacist roles, individuals should state they are a UK-registered pharmacist looking to register in New Zealand requiring four weeks of supervised practice.
Individuals will also need the following supporting documentation:
- Certificate of current professional status/letter of good standing from each pharmacy registration authority the candidate has registered with over the past ten years. The PCNZ must receive these directly from each registration authority (e.g. the General Pharmaceutical Council) before an application can be considered;
- A criminal convictions record from each country an applicant has resided in;
- The CAOP results notification letter from the APC;
- The name of the candidate’s supervising pharmacist, name and address of the pharmacy and proposed start date;
- Work history for the past ten years, in chronological order, including start and end dates, hours worked per week (approximate) for each role, and a brief description of pharmacist duties;
- Documentation for any health or professional conduct matters.
4. Complete supervised practice and law and ethics interview
The PCNZ will issue the candidate with an annual practising certificate allowing the candidate to practise in New Zealand but under the supervision of a New Zealand-registered pharmacist. This condition will be recorded on the public register until the candidate has successfully completed four weeks (or 140 hours) of supervised practice, and passed a law and ethics interview with an approved assessor arranged through the PCNZ.
Once all the requirements have been satisfied, the PCNZ will remove the condition of practice and issue an unconditional annual practising certificate to the pharmacist for renewal each year.
5) Visa requirements for pharmacists
Registering and moving to New Zealand will require a work visa. Pharmacists may be able to apply for a skilled migrant visa, which is dependent on a job offer from New Zealand and a minimum salary.
Individuals should allow at least six months from the start of the visa application process to their expected moving date.
Prior to COVID-19, there was also the option of a working holiday or essential skills work visa, but applications for all temporary visas such as these are now suspended. Owing to the many border restrictions and visa changes, it is advisable to check the Immigration NZ website for the latest COVID-19 updates.
6) Salary and expense
It is important to note that pharmacists in New Zealand generally can expect to earn less than in an equivalent UK role. Hospital pharmacist salaries range between NZ$55,000–100,000 (£27,500–50,000) per year depending on role and experience. The cost of living in New Zealand is also higher than in the UK, especially in big cities. For example, the estimated cost of living in Auckland is around a third more than in Cardiff.