New Zealand Nursing Council Refreshes English Language Competence Policy
This video outlines a refresh of Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa Nursing Council of New Zealand’s policy on English Language Competence
This refresh is based on consultation and engagement we conducted earlier this year on our processes for registering and assessing internationally qualified nurses.
The points outlined here will apply to all nurses who begin their application with CGFNS on or after 19th August 2022
Nurses who applied to CGFNS and/or Nursing Council before this date will not be disadvantaged by the changes we have announced.
The Nursing Council has decided that the minimum score for the writing band will be changed to 6.5 in the International English Language Test System (IELTS)
300 in the Occupational English Test (OET).
This change takes effect at 9am, 19 August 2022.
There will be no change to the required Reading, Speaking, and Listening band scores. These will remain at 7 for IELTS and 350 for OET.
The Nursing Council will continue to accept either IELTS (Academic) or OET tests of English, and has decided to not prioritise one of these tests over the other.
The Nursing Council will continue to offer three pathways for nurses to demonstrate they have sufficient English language competence to practise safely.
Pathways 2 and 3 have previously often been referred to as waivers.
The three pathways are:
1. A test-based pathway, where evidence consists of IELTS or OET results that demonstrate achievement of minimum scores as follows:
a) IELTS: 7 in Reading, Speaking, & Listening, and 6.5 in Writing
b) OET: 350 in Reading, Speaking, & Listening, and 300 in Writing.1
2. An education-based pathway, where evidence consists of the education that led to registration as a nurse being taught and examined in English in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, or the United States of America.
3. A registration-based pathway, where evidence consists of having passed an English language test to obtain registration in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, or the United States of America. language requirements of other nursing regulators. Over time, this may lead to changes in the countries that provide eligibility for these pathways.
