Regulation of physician associates (PAs)
In April 2025, the Minister of Health announced that physician associates (PAs) would be regulated in Aotearoa New Zealand, and that Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (the Council) would be the regulator of PAs. The Council will be accepting applications for registration of PAs in October 2026.
Earlier this year, the Council consulted on a proposed framework for the regulation of PAs. The framework included scopes of practice, prescribed qualifications and supervision requirements for PAs seeking to register and work in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Decisions on the regulation of physician associates (PAs)
Title
The responsibility for providing for a professional title for PAs sits with the Minister of Health.
The Minister has confirmed the title as physician associate(s).
Council’s decisions
Council considered the consultation feedback to its consultation on the proposed framework for the regulation of PAs. The approved scopes of practice, prescribed qualifications and the supervision framework for PAs can be found [ here ].
Consultation: Professional standards for physician associates (PAs)
We are seeking your feedback on the draft Professional standards for PAs. These draft standards propose the principles and values of good PA practice and the professional standards expected of PAs working in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Your feedback is important to us, and we would like to hear from you. We will consider your feedback before the Professional standards for PAs are finalised.
Please see the draft professional standards [ here ]
Please provide your feedback by completing the survey [ here ]
Background
PAs are trained and qualified health professionals who always work under the supervision of a medical doctor to provide healthcare to patients. PAs work closely with doctors and other members of the health care team. PAs are a distinct profession who will be registered in the PA provisional general scope of practice or the PA general scope of practice. See here for more information on scopes of practice [ here ].
The PA profession is well established internationally. It began in the US in the mid-1960s, in response to a growing need for healthcare providers. Regulation of the profession began in the US in the 1970s. The profession is also regulated in Canada and in the UK (since December 2024).
Development of the draft Professional standards for PAs
To support the development of the draft standards, we reviewed PA standards from overseas jurisdictions. We also used our standards for doctors to further inform the draft Professional standards for PAs. In addition, we engaged with the New Zealand Physician Associate Society, Whakawaha (Council’s consumer advisory group), and Te Kāhui Whakamana Tiriti (Council’s Māori advisory group).
About the draft Professional Standards for PAs
Once finalised, the standards will apply to all areas of PA practice. They aim to put patient interests first and support public health and safety by setting out the minimum requirements for safe practice, and outlining the expectations for communication, consent, collaboration, and professional behaviour of PAs.
As the standards cannot explicitly cover every situation that may be encountered in practice, guidance is included to support the understanding and application of some standards. Other legislation and regulations may be relevant to care and treatment decisions, and additional standards or guidance may be published in future for specific areas of practice.
The final standards may be used by the Medical Council, Health and Disability Commissioner, Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, or employers to evaluate a PA’s conduct in their professional capacity.
The draft professional standards and guidance are [ here ]
The survey link is our preferred method for receiving submissions. Alternatively, you can email your response to PAconsultation@mcnz.org.nz. You can download the questions [ here ].
The consultation closes COB on Thursday 16 July 2026.
What we do with your responses (privacy information) view [ here ].