Consultation on new registration pathways and prescribed qualification changes
This consultation closed in January 2026, and an outcome response published in April 2026.
The Dental Council is consulting on three new proposed registration pathways that will make it easier for suitably trained overseas oral health practitioners to join the register and practise in New Zealand.
The three new pathways proposed are:
- Competent Authority Pathway - Registration – for practitioners with recent clinical experience in a recognised competent authority, that we consider equivalent international regulators.
- Comparable Health Systems Pathway – opens registration to dentists with recent clinical experience from 21 countries with health systems and regulation assessed as comparable to New Zealand’s.
- Teaching and Research Pathway – for those employed in New Zealand tertiary or academic institutions to support clinical learning and research in our accredited programmes, who cannot use any of the registration pathways (not for independent clinical practice).
Have your say
The consultation is open until 29 January 2026. Submissions can be made via our online survey.
As part of the consultation, Chair John Bridgman and Chief Executive Marie MacKay hosted two webinars to discuss the proposals and answer emerging questions, and we have published a guide based on these discussions.
Submissions
You can read the consultation submissions here.
Draft Gazette Notices
To support the introduction of the new registration pathways and additional proposed prescribed qualification changes highlighted in section 4 of the document, draft notices are presented for consultation purposes as required under section 14(2) of the HPCAA. Proposed changes to the gazetted prescribed qualifications are indicated in the relevant attachments as red text.
The draft notices can be accessed here