Understanding regulated professions

In certain industries in New Zealand (health and engineering, in particular), your qualifications from your home country will not be recognised and you will have to take steps to obtain diploma equivalences or register with specific bodies before you can work in that industry. If you want to try and find a job in your field when you go to New Zealand, you should research the rules that apply to your profession before you leave. The process of occupational registration can take many months, so you should start this before you move to New Zealand.

To check if your job requires you to register with a specific organisation before you can start work, read the Immigration New Zealand page: Check if you need occupational registration for your job. You can also research your role and industry on the CareersNZ jobs database to see if the profession is regulated or whether you can use your qualifications from your home country. Both of these websites provide links to the relevant organisations if you need to register with one.

A note on certifications

Sometimes a “certification” is required to work in a particular field. Certification is not always compulsory. Before making a big financial commitment (there is usually a fee involved for getting the certification), find out from potential employers whether they are prepared to employ you without this specific certification. The CareersNZ jobs database covers which roles require compulsory certification vs. when it is optional.