Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care

We are taking expressions of interest in the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care programme. Registered nurses in primary care who may be interested in applying for support to achieve their nurse practitioner qualification are encouraged to complete an expression of interest form. This information will be passed on to the provider, who will support you through the application pathway. Please fill in this form to express your interest in the primary care nurse practitioner programme.

The EOI is open from 31 July to 31 August 2025:

Expression of Interest for Registered Nurses planning their Nurse Practitioner study. (external link)

In March 2025, the Minister of Health announced a number of initiatives to support an increase in timely access to primary care for all New Zealanders, including supporting more doctors and nurses into the primary care workforce. One of the initiatives announced was the investment of 120 funded places for registered nurses in primary care to undertake nurse practitioner (NP) training in primary care settings.

Health NZ is taking this opportunity to reshape the NP training support and replace the current Nurse Practitioner Training Programme (NPTP) with a new Nurse Practitioner Training Support Scheme.

The Request For Proposal (RFP) closed at 1pm, Monday 30 June.

Mātanga tapuhi nurse practitioners (NP) are highly skilled, autonomous, health practitioners who have advanced education, clinical training and demonstrated competency. NPs have a clinical master’s degree level of education and legal authority to practise beyond the level of a registered nurse.

More information about nurse practitioners:

College of Nurses New Zealand (external link)

Nursing Council of New Zealand (external link)

If you are a registered nurse and are considering developing your clinical expertise and pursuing the educational requirements to register as an NP in New Zealand, it may be important to discuss your aspirations with your clinical leader. There is certain support systems required for success, including clinical preparation and mentorship, to meet the competency requirements to pathway into an NP position.

Find out more information about nurse practitioner training programme (external link)

It is recommended that registered nurses are already practising in the area they will work in as an NP before completing the required post-graduate studies and competency requirements.

If you have trained outside of New Zealand, please note the New Zealand requirements for a clinical master’s degree with the appropriate course content and mentorship requirements. It is important to work with Nursing Council of New Zealand to understand if your preparation and experience meets the New Zealand requirements. 

Read the Guide to advance from registered nurse to nurse practitioner [PDF, 562 KB]