JL260215 2026 03 23 Response.pdf

23 March 2026

John Luke

By email: [FYI request #33734 email]

Tēnā koe Mr Luke,

Information request – JL260215

Thank you for your email dated 15 February 2026. We note that your request was originally
due by 13 March 2026; however, on 9 March 2026 we extended the timeframe to 27 March
2026. Thank you for your patience.

You noted that we had advertised for expressions of interest to join the Social Workers
Registration Board (SWRB)’s pool of prescription and monitoring panellists. You asked:
May I ask how you called for public nomination and on what platform you
have call for public nominations e.g. govt.jobs website. A copy of your ad
and pay rate as well. Also, how many applications you have received for
each of the role from the public and how many you have received from
other nominating agencies such as TPK or Ministry of women etc for your
role. How many you have shortlisted and how many you have interviewed.
Also, can I request to view the appointment letter if there is one sent to the
appointee. I am happy for you to remove all the personal information. How
many vacancy you are looking to fill this round.
Please find our response to your questions below. First, we explain the context behind the
SWRB’s call for prescription and monitoring panellists.

Context
Under the Social Workers Registration Act 2003, the SWRB is responsible for regulating social
workers in New Zealand. The SWRB’s regulatory functions include:
• Setting standards for social work education and training in New Zealand (Section
99(1)(i)).
• Prescribing New Zealand educational qualifications (Sections 5B and 99(1)(f)).
These two functions are interlinked. When a tertiary education organisation (TEO) applies to
the SWRB to prescribe its social work qualification, the SWRB considers whether the TEO’s
qualification complies with the SWRB Education Standards. Although the SWRB is not strictly

constrained by the SWRB Education Standards, compliance with these Standards is the main
factor governing the SWRB’s decision whether to prescribe any given qualification.

A copy of the SWRB’s current Education Standards (which came into effect on 1 January 2026)
is attached. These Standards are secondary legislation under Section 99(4)(a).

The SWRB’s list of prescribed qualifications was published as a notice in the New Zealand
Gazette under Section 5B(1), and can be found at https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2021-
gs111. This notice is secondary legislation under Section 5B(3).

Only people who have completed a prescribed qualification can apply for registration under
Section 6 (the New Zealand-qualified pathway). Therefore, the list of prescribed qualifications
serves a key role in regulating who is eligible for registration under Section 6.

The SWRB recognises that it is important to obtain objective and expert advice about whether
to prescribe a new qualification. Therefore, the SWRB’s Prescription and Monitoring
Framework (attached) (at Pages 16, 17, and 20–21) provides for the SWRB to appoint
prescription and monitoring panels (PMPs) to evaluate whether new qualifications comply
with the Education Standards. PMP members are drawn from within social work sector as wel
as people experienced in regulation (e.g., other regulators). These positions are in addition to
the inhouse SWRB secretariat. PMPs do not themselves decide whether to prescribe a new
qualification, but report their findings and recommendations to the SWRB, which makes the
final decision whether to prescribe a new qualification under Section 5B(1).

The SWRB does not appoint standing PMPs. Rather, it recruits people to join a pool of
panellists, and then appoints PMPs as necessary from the members of that pool.

How the SWRB called for nominations to the PMPs
In December 2025, the SWRB called for expressions of interest to join its pool of PMP
members. The SWRB advertised this role:
•  On the “Jobs” webpage on the SWRB website.
•  In the 3 December 2025 edition of Onboard, the SWRB’s newsletter that it sends to
stakeholders (including all practising certificate holders).
•  On the SWRB’s Facebook page on 15 December 2025, 6 January 2026, and 16 January
2026.
•  By direct email to other regulatory and professional bodies. These were the:
o  Allied Health Aotearoa
o  Chinese Medicine Council
o  Dental Council
o  New Zealand Midwifery Council
o  Medical Council

o  Nursing Council
o  Osteopathic Council
o  Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board
o  Occupational Therapists Board
o  Paramedic Council
o  Psychotherapists Board
o  Physiotherapy Board
o  Pharmacy Council
o  Podiatrists Board
o  Psychologists Board
We did not advertise this role elsewhere (e.g., on Seek.co.nz or jobs.govt.nz) as our focus was
on reaching social work-related applicants.

A copy of the SWRB’s advertisement for PMP pool members
I have attached a PDF copy of the SWRB’s 3 December 2025 edition of Onboard to the cover
email. Below, I have copied out the text of the advertisement:

Applications open for education panel ists
We’re inviting applications to be a part of our education prescription and monitoring
panels’ pool of monitors.

From January 2026 the new Education Standards take effect. This requires that we
assess each tertiary education organisation’s (TEO) delivery of its social work education
against those standards. This assessment will be done by a rotating pool of panel ists.
Being a panel ist is a contract role that involves the assessment of social work
programmes either currently being delivered by TEOs or in the planning stages. Some
travel for site visits may be required.

We need panel ists with experience in a variety of areas
On each panel we need people with experience in social work education, social work
practice, te ao Māori, and regulation or quality assurance. We also want to hear from
people with other experience, such as in non-social work tertiary education and in
employing social workers. If you have experience in any these areas, we’d love to hear
from you.

Read about the panel ist role on the SWRB website

Applications close on Friday, 30 January 2026.

Below, I have copied screenshots of the Facebook advertisements:

15 December 2025

6 January 2026

16 January 2026

Pay rate for PMP members
The SWRB will pay PMP members $124 per hour worked. There is no guarantee as to the
number of hours that any individual member of the PMP pool will be asked to work.

Number of applications received from the public
The SWRB received 29 applications to join the pool of PMP members.

Number of applications received from “nominating agencies”
The SWRB did not receive, nor seek, applications from nominating agencies such as Te Puni
Kōkiri or the Ministry for Women.

Number of applicants shortlisted
The SWRB shortlisted 15 applicants.

Number of applicants interviewed
The SWRB interviewed 15 applicants.

Copy of the appointment letter
The SWRB has not yet appointed any members to the Pool. However, we have sent the
following email to people who passed the interview stage:

Kia ora [Candidate's Name],

Thank you again for your interest in becoming part of our pool of Prescription panellists
and taking the time to meet with us during the interview process. We really
appreciated the opportunity to speak with you.

We are pleased to let you know that we would like to progress you to the next stage of
the process.

This includes completing several standard pre-engagement checks, including
references, a declaration of interest form, and a Ministry of Justice check.
Please reply to this email confirming you are happy for us to proceed with these checks.

In your response, could you also please provide:
•  Contact details for two referees
•  Documentation confirming your right to work in New Zealand (e.g.
NZ/Australian passport, or passport and visa showing working rights)

Once we receive your confirmation and the above information, we will begin the next
steps and keep you updated on progress.

Ngā mihi

Number of vacancies the SWRB is seeking to fil
The SWRB hopes to recruit 10–12 applicants to join its pool of PMP members.

Further information
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss the matter further, please contact the SWRB by
email at [Social Workers Registration Board request email], or by post at Social Workers Registration Board, PO Box 3452,
Wellington 6140 (attention Legal Team).

You have the right to seek a review of our response by the Ombudsman. Information about
the Ombudsman can be found at https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

Ngā mihi nui,

Lucas Davies
Legal Services Manager
Social Workers Registration Board