Salary:

Psychiatrists receive a base salary relative to their level of experience. This is agreed upon at the time of the job offer. There is a 15-step pay scale that SMOs continue to progress through on a yearly basis.

In New Zealand, the salary and benefits of some roles are determined by collective agreements between unions and employers. The full Senior Medical Officers collective agreement can be found on the Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora website here.

Additional allowances are paid on top of base salary and vary due to location and service and are often not specified in the collective agreement.

Allowances:

There are a range of additional allowances for:

• on-call,

• evening, night and weekend work,

• call back,

• job size,

• recruitment and retention,

• and special contribution.

Leave:

• 6 weeks of paid annual leave.

• A minimum of 10 days of sick leave per year.

• 10 days of paid Continuing Medical Education Leave (CME), plus the ability to use annual leave tacked onto the end of your CME travel.

• If eligible, up to a 6% matching superannuation contribution from Health New Zealand as your employer. Find out more here.

• 6-12 months of parental leave depending on the length of service, including 6 weeks of fully paid parental leave.

• 12 paid public holidays + time in lieu/alternative holiday if rostered on.

• Long service leave + sabbatical opportunities.

Additional benefits include: 

• An annual Continuing Medical Education (CME) allowance of NZD $16,000 (pro-rated for part-time employees).

• Reimbursement of your registration and practising certificate fees.

• Your professional indemnity insurance is covered by Health NZ.

• If eligible, up to a 6% matching superannuation contribution from Health New Zealand as your employer. Find out more here.

• A relocation package for international candidates.

Leadership and career development opportunities:

Health New Zealand encourages Senior Medical Officers to be involved in the design, implementation and performance of facilities and technology involved in the delivery of healthcare services to ensure an effective, efficient and safe workplace. 

Specific opportunities vary by location and service, however, can include:  

• Support and encouragement for research and publications.
  

• Mentorship opportunities for apprentice Junior Doctors/Registrars.
  

• Regional and National networks allow for subspeciality research and practice. 
  

• Ongoing development and support for career growth with on-the-job coaching and a variety of in-house training programmes. 

Medical Qualification:

• You must hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB); or

• an overseas qualification that is assessed as equivalent to New Zealand standards by the MCNZ.

Medical Council Registration:

To work as a Psychiatrist in Aotearoa, New Zealand, you need to be registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand.

To apply for vocational registration in psychiatry, you need either:

• the Fellowship of the RANZCP (FRANZCP) qualification; or

• an international postgraduate medical qualification in Psychiatry, where your combination of qualifications, training and experience will be assessed against the standard of the FRANZCP.

Annual Practising Certificate (APC):

• To practice as a Psychiatrist you must hold a valid Annual Practising Certificate (APC) with the MCNZ which is renewed annually.

• To maintain the APC, you must:

  • Provide evidence of ongoing competence.

  • Demonstrate participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.

Registration Support

We have helpful information put together by Tu Te Akaaka Roa, the Aotearoa New Zealand office of RANZCP.

It explains the role of Tu Te Akaaka Roa, the support available with registration and your move to our beautiful country. There’s also a great network of mentors to support you. 

• Read about Tu Te Akaaka Roa and mentor support

• Read about how to get Psychiatry registration

Registering to work as a Psychiatrist in New Zealand:

To work as a Psychiatrist in New Zealand you will need to obtain Vocational Registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ).

Pathways to Vocational Registration include:

1. Direct Pathway to Vocational Registration:

• If you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG) with specialist qualifications from countries with medical systems deemed equivalent to New Zealand’s (e.g., Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, or some European countries), you may be eligible to apply directly for vocational registration without needing to first obtain general registration.

• In this pathway, the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) will assess your specialist qualifications, clinical experience, and the medical system where you trained. If these are deemed equivalent, you can apply directly for vocational registration in your specialty (such as Psychiatry).

• This pathway allows experienced specialists to bypass general registration and the provisional general phase, which is typically required for doctors without a recognised specialist qualification.

2. Provisional Vocational Registration Pathway

• If the MCNZ determines that your qualifications and experience are largely equivalent but that you need some orientation or assessment within the New Zealand healthcare system, you may be granted provisional vocational registration.

• This means you’ll practice in your specialty under supervision for a period, typically between 6-12 months, before being granted full vocational registration.

• During this provisional Vocational Registration period, a specialist who practises in the same area of medicine as you will supervise you. 

3. General Registration Pathway

• Some IMGs who do not meet the criteria for direct vocational registration may first need to obtain general registration if their qualifications and experience are not recognized as equivalent.

• This process to gain Vocational Registration includes:

  • A period of Provisional General Registration (with supervised practice) if necessary.

  • After obtaining General Registration, they can later apply for Vocational Registration once they have completed any further assessments or additional supervised practice required by the MCNZ.

Find out more about life in New Zealand

We have a page dedicated to providing information to candidates about our recruitment process, what you need to work in New Zealand and key details about moving here.

Visit our Candidate Information page