Chiropractors Society

Chiropractic Board NZ

The New Zealand Chiropractic Board is the regulatory authority established by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 to regulate the profession of chiropractic in New Zealand.  The principle purpose of this Act is to protect the health and safety of members of the public by providing for mechanisms to ensure that health practitioners are competent and fit to practise their professions. The title of chiropractor is protected by this Act.  Only those health practitioners registered with the Chiropractic Board may use the title chiropractor and only chiropractors that hold a current Annual Practising Certificate may lawfully practice chiropractic in New Zealand.

To find out if your chiropractor holds a current Annual Practising Certificate please check our online Register. The New Zealand Chiropractic Board trusts that registrants and members of the public will find the information contained on this website useful.

Board Registration Examination

The Board's next Registration Examination is scheduled to be held in Auckland on 4th and 5th February 2012. Applications close on 7th January 2012. Information regarding this Examination can be found on the How To Register - Registration Examination page of our website.

If you hold a chiropractic degree awarded outside of New Zealand or Australia, you will need to successfully complete the Board’s Registration Examination before being eligible to practise in New Zealand. 

The Board's next Registration Examination is set for 4th and 5th February 2012 in Auckland.  Applications for this Examination close on 31st December 2011.

Follow the link at the bottom of this page to download a copy of the Board’s Registration Examination Guidelines document. The Examination is a registration examination administered by the Board which fulfils the functions (b), (c) and (i) as set out under Part 6, Section 118 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

The purpose of the Examination is to determine that a minimum standard of practice has been demonstrated by internationally educated graduates of chiropractic programs, before an Annual Practicing Certificate to practice chiropractic in New Zealand is granted by the Board.  The Examination aims to ensure the safety of the public in interactions with Chiropractors by conducting a fair and accurate assessment of candidate readiness for independent chiropractic practice in the New Zealand Health environment.  The Examination is designed to evaluate the essential knowledge, skills and abilities required for Chiropractic practice.  The skills that the Examination is designed to evaluate include, but are not limited to:

• History taking
• Physical examination
• Data interpretation
• Clinical problem solving
• Treatment skills (but not methodology)
• Ethics
• Safety
• Interviewing and patient communication
• Interdisciplinary communication
• Recording of data and information
• Case management
• Planning

The examination is held over 2 days and is 4.45 hours in length.  The examination covers core clinical practice areas of the human body as they relate to the Chiropractic Scope of Practice. Candidates must successfully complete the examination and all other registration requirements before being eligible to be issued with an Annual Practicing Certificate (APC).

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