Practising pharmacists are qualified and registered

A practising pharmacist in New Zealand is qualified, registered, and competent in their area of practice. A pharmacist’s annual practising certificate means that:

• they hold a qualification that has been approved by the Pharmacy Council
• they have met standards of clinical, cultural, and professional competence
• they maintain and extend competence by engaging in continuing professional development
• they have relevant and contemporary practice experience
• they maintain ethical conduct
• Council has no concerns regarding their fitness to practice.

The registration process for the three scopes of practice — intern pharmacist, pharmacist, and pharmacist prescriber — varies according to where the applicant completed their education and what qualifications and experience they have.

New Zealand or Australian pharmacy graduates have prescribed qualifications

Graduates who have studied in New Zealand or Australia have prescribed qualifications.

Intern pharmacist

To register as an intern pharmacist, applicants must hold one of these qualifications.

• Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Auckland
• Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Otago
• Master of Pharmacy Practice, University of Waikato
• Australian graduates with a pharmacy degree from Schools of Pharmacy holding Australian Pharmacy Council accreditation.

Pharmacist

Pharmacy graduates with New Zealand or Australian qualifications must meet prescribed requirements.

New Zealand pharmacy graduates

New Zealand and Australian pharmacy applicants must have all of the following:

• A Pharmacy degree (as listed above) that holds accreditation from the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand or the Australian Pharmacy Council.
• Completion of the intern training programme run by the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand
• A pass in the Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre OSCE examination.

We consider practising pharmacists who qualified in New Zealand before the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree was introduced to have an equivalent qualification.

Overseas pharmacy graduates

Pharmacists with overseas qualifications and registration may be eligible to register in the Pharmacist or Intern Pharmacist scopes of practice in New Zealand if they meet the criteria required for any of the specific pathways below:

• Pharmacists from Australia (Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement), require:
  • Registration verification
  • Competence programme
• Pharmacists from Recognised jurisdictions (Recognised Equivalent Qualification Route) UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, require 
  • A pass in competency assessment of overseas pharmacists (CAOP) examination
  • Registration verification
  • Competence programme
• Pharmacists from other countries (Non-Recognised Equivalent Qualification Route) any other countries excluding above, require 
  • An approval from Council to follow this pathway (Preliminary review/initial consideration)
  • A pass in Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA™)  and New Zealand Pharmacy Legislation Course (NZPL)
  • Completion of the intern training programme run by the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand
  • A pass in the Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre OSCE examination.

Read about the registration process for overseas applicants 

Pharmacist prescriber

A pharmacist prescriber must have completed the accredited postgraduate programme.  

Read more about pharmacist prescribers