NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 22 — 2 MARCH 2017

(2) The background of the notice must extend at least 10mm beyond the letters in all directions and must be white or safety yellow.

(3) Only the statements contained in clause 6 of this notice may be on the notice.

Dated at Wellington this 28th day of February 2017.

ANNA BUTLER, General Manager (Building System Performance), Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (acting under delegated authority).

Explanatory note

This note is for explanatory purposes only.

This notice, which comes into force on 1 September 2017, sets out the form of notices to be supplied with any new product that is designed to be used for swimming, wading, paddling or bathing, other than an ordinary home bath.

These notices must be supplied by persons who manufacture, sell or offer for sale these products in New Zealand.

Section 162E(2) of the Building Act 2004 provides that the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment may, by notice in the New Zealand Gazette, approve the form of these notices.

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General Section

Notice of Replacement and Revocation of Notice for Nurse Practitioners

Commencement

This notice is given under sections 11 and 12 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and comes into effect on 6 April 2017.

On 6 April 2017 it replaces the notice published in the New Zealand Gazette, 29 May 2014, Issue No. 56, page 1590.

Explanatory note

Introduction

Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, the Nursing Council of New Zealand (“Council”) is required to describe the scopes of practice for nursing in New Zealand and prescribe the qualifications for each scope of practice.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have completed further education and clinical training to enable them to be responsible for providing advanced nursing care and diagnosing and treating health conditions. Nurse practitioners were first registered in 2001. In 2014 the restrictions on nurse practitioner prescribing rights were removed and they became authorised prescribers under the Medicines Act 1981.

Changes coming into effect on 6 April 2017

In December 2014, the Council proposed broadening the nurse practitioner scope of practice to ensure it remains safe, flexible and appropriate to meet health needs; describes the health services the nurse practitioner provides; and differentiates the nurse practitioner from advanced registered nurse roles (including prescribing).

The Council also proposed that the requirement to restrict a nurse practitioner’s scope of practice to a specific area of practice be removed. The reason for this was to allow greater flexibility for nurse practitioner roles as health services change to meet health needs. The Council believes that nurse practitioners as advanced clinicians are able to ensure they practise within their area of competence and experience.

The Council also proposed that the educational programmes for nurse practitioners have standardised outcomes and specified clinical learning time to improve a student’s readiness for registration as a nurse practitioner on completion of the programme. The Council also proposed that the postgraduate diploma in registered nurse prescribing for long-term and common conditions be a prerequisite for the nurse practitioner Masters’ education programmes thereby creating a clearer qualification and career pathway for registered nurses who wish to become nurse practitioners.

The Council sought the views of stakeholders including nurses, nurse practitioners, education programme providers, health professional organisations, regulatory authorities and consumer groups. The consultation was also available on the Council’s website for public comment. The majority of submitters (77%) supported a broad

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