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.

Intern pharmacist

Graduates who have studied in New Zealand or Australia must hold one of these prescribed qualifications to register as an intern pharmacist:

• 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

To register as a pharmacist, applicants must hold a prescribed qualification and meet prescribed requirements per the relevant pathway.

New Zealand pharmacy graduates

New Zealand and Australian pharmacy graduates 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 as Pharmacists in New Zealand if they meet the requirements set out 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)
  • Register as an Intern Pharmacist in NZ and complete an accredited intern training programme
  •  
  • A pass in the Pharmacy Council Assessment Centre OSCE examination.

Read about the registration process for overseas applicants 

Pharmacist prescriber

For a pharmacist to register and practise in the additional scope of pharmacist prescriber, they must have completed a Council-accredited postgraduate pharmacist prescriber programme.  

Read more about pharmacist prescribers