Investment and purchasing
Learn more about how the Health Workforce Directorate funds postgraduate training to develop the workforce.
Pātiki and Waharua Kōpito patterns
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The Health Workforce Directorate has contracts for the provision of training with district health boards (DHBs), tertiary education providers and other health provider organisations. These are the specification requirements and eligibility criteria for Health Workforce Directorate-funded programmes in:
- Medical
- Nursing
- Dental
- Allied Health
- Mental Health
- Disability Support Services
- Māori
- Pacific
- Midwifery
To be eligible for funding, trainees must be New Zealand citizens or hold a permanent resident visa. The Health Workforce Directorate will consider exceptions to this policy. Applications are made by training providers – see the Exceptions to residency status policy section.
Financial assistance is available for DHBs to provide mentoring, cultural supervision and cultural development activities to support Māori and Pacific peoples to complete these training programmes. Download the Māori support policy (docx, 26 KB) or the Pacific peoples support policy (docx, 25 KB) for more details.
Medical
The Health Workforce Directorate funds district health boards and other organisations, such as the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP), for postgraduate clinical training.
GP training has changed. For more on the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP), see the RNZCGP website.
Nursing
NETP programmes are for newly registered nurses, undertaking study to Level 2 in the Professional Development and Recognition Programme PDRP) framework approved by the Nursing Council New Zealand.
If employed through the ACE system – which matches graduates to DHB jobs – nurses will as a matter of course enter the NETP programme. See the Recruitment of new graduate registered nurses section for more on the ACE system.
Workforce training needs are identified by each district health board (DHB). The boards allocate money for postgraduate education for registered nurses employed by health and disability services. Contact your DHB director of nursing to find out more.
Dental
| ID | Specification |
|---|---|
| 1/B9 | Master of Dental Surgery (docx, 67.5 KB) |
| 1/B14 | Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (docx, 59 KB) |
Allied Health
Mental Health
The Health Workforce Directorate funds a national infrastructure to develop the mental health and addictions workforce, including funding for:
- post-entry clinical training in psychiatry and health psychology
- Te Pou to purchase specified training programmes
- and Te Pou, Werry Workforce Whāraurau, Te Rau Matatini, Matua Raki, Massey University, Le Va, and Careerforce to undertake workforce development activities.
Disability Support Services
| ID | Specification |
|---|---|
| 1/B30 | Rehabilitation (docx, 62 KB) |
Te Pou is funded to provide workforce development services and to administer workforce development and training grants to the disability support workforce.
Māori
| ID | Specification |
|---|---|
| 1/B52 | Hauora Māori Workforce Training Fund (docx, 232 KB) |
| 1/B61 | Māori Support (docx, 34 KB) |
The Hauora Māori Training Fund helped DHBs develop Māori staff in the non-regulated health and disability workforce. It provides access to training programmes to develop formal competencies in their current roles and improve potential to move into other roles.
The purpose of Māori Support funding is to enhance the likelihood of Māori health staff successfully completing Health Workforce Directorate-funded training programmes. Māori Support funding incorporates three key elements of wraparound support: Mentoring, Cultural Supervision and Cultural Development activities.
Te Pitomata– The Hauora Māori Scholarships programme has been transferred to Te Aka Whai Ora (effective July 1, 2022). The new programme is called Te Pitomata. These are for students in health and disability courses accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
Related publications:
Pacific
| ID | Specification |
|---|---|
| 1/B62 | Pacific Support (docx, 44 KB) |
The purpose of Pacific Support funding is to enhance the likelihood of Pacific health staff successfully completing Health Workforce Directorate-funded training programmes. Pacific Support funding incorporates three key elements of wraparound support: Mentoring, Cultural Supervision and Cultural Development activities.
Midwifery
| ID | Specification |
|---|---|
| 1/B53 | Midwifery First Year of Practice Programme (docx, 34 KB) |
| 1/B53 | Postgraduate Education and Complex Care Training Programme (docx, 82.5 KB) |
Midwives in formal postgraduate education can apply for Health Workforce Directorate grants. These are administered by the New Zealand College of Midwives – find out more on the College of Midwives website.
Exceptions to residency status policy and Reviewing Health Workforce Investment
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Exceptions to residency status policy
Find out about exceptions to residency status policy -
Reviewing our Health Workforce Investment approach
Find out about our Health Workforce Investment approach