About Us

We’re the authority overseeing the optometrist and dispensing optician professions in Aotearoa New Zealand. We ensure that optometrists and dispensing opticians are qualified, competent, and fit to practise.

Our role is to protect patients and public health and safety and to make sure practitioners maintain high standards of care.

We are a statutory body, empowered by The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA Act).

On this page: We set the standards | Keep the register | Protect the public | More about us

We set the standards

We set the clinical practise, professional, ethical, and cultural standards for optometrists and dispensing opticians within Aotearoa New Zealand.

This includes:

• Certifying the required qualifications for these professions

• Detailing the procedures and actions each profession and scope of practice can undertake

• Approving what is required to maintain competence in these professions (recertification requirements).

We keep the register

We register optometrists and dispensing opticians, and maintain an up-to-date register, including whether there are any conditions imposed on a practitioner.

We are also responsible for issuing annual practising certificates (APCs).

We protect the public

We set professional standards to help ensure public health and safety. We set standards for clinical practise, ethical conduct, and cultural competence and cultural safety expected of optometrists and dispensing opticians. We regularly assess and monitor practitioners’ competence, conduct, and fitness to practise against these standards.

If any practitioner risks harm to the public, we are required to take steps to intervene.

In some cases, it may be appropriate to put restrictions (conditions) in place, require additional monitoring or consider disciplinary action if there are significant concerns about, or a breach of standards by, an optometrist or dispensing optician.

We support ongoing education and training for practitioners, and work collaboratively with other health service providers to make sure high standards are maintained. This is beneficial for everyone, from patients to practitioners.

Please contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

More about us