Following Cabinet’s decision to regulate the Physician Associate profession, the required secondary legislation was gazetted on 1 May 2025, and came into effect on 30 May 2025. (Gazette Notice 2025-al2231 refers.)
The Medical Council of New Zealand will now regulate the Physician Associate profession.
Title of Cabinet papers:
- Regulation of the Physician Associate profession under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003
- Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (Designation of Physician Associate Services as Health Profession) Order 2025
Title of minutes:
- Regulation of the Physician Associate profession under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (SOU-24-MIN-0163)
- Report of the Cabinet Social Outcomes Committee: Period Ended 13 December 2024 (CAB-24-MIN-0499)
- Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (Designation of Physician Associate Services as Health Profession) Order 2025 (CBC-25-MIN-007)
- Report of the Cabinet Business Committee: Period Ended 18 April 2025 (CAB-25-MIN-0130)
Title of briefings:
- Briefing for decision - Regulation of the Physician Associate profession under the Health Practitioners Competence
Assurance Act 2003 (H2024051278) - Briefing for decision - Order in Council to Regulate the Physician Associate Profession (H2024059004)
Some parts of this information release would not be appropriate to release and, if requested, would be withheld under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Where this is the case, the relevant sections of the Act that would apply have been identified. Where information has been withheld, no public interest has been identified that would outweigh the reasons for withholding it.
Key to redaction codes:
- Out of scope
- S 6(a) where its release would likely prejudice the international relations of the Government of New Zealand.
- S 9(2)(ba)(i) where its release would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied;
- S 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons.
- S 9(2)(b)(i) where its release would disclose a trade secret.
- S 9(2)(b)(ii) where its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied the information.
- S 9(2)(f)(iv) to maintain the constitutional conventions that protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials.
- S 9(2)(g)(i) to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers and officers and employees of any public service agency.
- S 9(2)(h) to maintain legal professional privilege.
- S 9(2)(j) to enable a Minister or any public service agency to carry on negotiations without prejudice or disadvantage (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
