Tēnā koutou,
As we approach the end of another demanding year, I want to acknowledge the mahi you do every day and the pressures many social workers are managing at this time of year. I hope the coming weeks bring some space to rest and reconnect with whānau.
This final edition of Onboard for 2025 also marks an important moment for the SWRB. Over the past year, many of you have shared honest feedback about how we communicate, consult, and make decisions. We’ve listened, and we know we need to do better.
In this edition, you’ll see an article introducing the Engagement Principles the Board has endorsed to guide how SWRB will work with the sector going forward. These principles set clear expectations for how we show up – with an emphasis on transparency, consistency, and responsiveness – and outline what you can expect to see more of over time.
You’ll also find other important updates in this issue. We farewell Dr Mose Ma’alo Faleolo, who retired by rotation in November, and warmly welcome Lo‘i Lilah Volē to the Board. We also share early insights from the annual workforce survey, results from the CPD audit, and information about the Public Trust Survey.
As we move into 2026, you can expect more regular updates on consultations, clearer timeframes, and plain English explanations of Board decisions, along with feedback on how your input has informed our direction.
Thank you for your professionalism and your ongoing commitment to this vital work.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mike Munnelly, Board Chair
Sarah Clark, Chief Executive
We’ve listened, and we’re committed to doing better
Over the past year, we’ve heard from many of you – social workers, educators and employers – that we haven’t always got it right when it comes to how we communicate and consult on things that impact on the social work and community sector. We have heard your frustrations about value for money (fees) and the way we deliver our registration and drawn-out complaints processes. We are listening, and we are committed to responding and to doing better.
We know that trust is built through actions, not words. That’s why we’ve taken a hard look at how we communicate, engage and deliver.
We have committed to the following principles, which guide everything we do:
- Transparency, Accountability and Ownership
We will be clear and open about how decisions are made and take responsibility for explaining them. - Inclusiveness and Fairness
We will seek to hear from a broad range of voices and be mindful of who may be most affected by our decisions. - Te Tiriti Partnership
We recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as foundational to our role and commit to strengthening how we work with tangata whenua over time. - Evidence-Informed
We will use the best available information to inform our decisions and remain open to learning and adjustment. - Modern, Responsive Regulation
We will engage in ways that support effective, proportionate regulation and public confidence.
We hope you’re already seeing these principles at work. After consulting on education fees, we heard concerns about timing and affordability. The Board has deferred any fee changes until our next full review in 2026/2027, giving time to properly assess the new programme standards.
When feedback on the Workforce Strategy told us we were moving too fast, we adjusted – we’ll come back to you early next year with a more considered next step. And we’ve published our fees policy for the first time, so you can see how registration costs are set and hold us accountable for a fair approach to fee setting.
These are just the initial steps. Over the next 6 months you can expect to see:
- Regular updates on consultations, feedback and activities (e.g. feedback on workforce strategy and the review of the act)
- Realistic and consistent approach to timeframes for consultations
- Plain English language explanations of how and why the Board makes regulatory decisions (e.g. our Fee policy)
- More proactive communication from us on individual interactions with the Board (eg applications and complaints)
These examples show what ‘responsive regulation’ means: we consult genuinely, we listen carefully, and we’re willing to change direction when the evidence tells us to.
This principle-based approach will help us move from being a reactive organisation to one that is responsive, effective and more collaborative. You’ll start to see this through clearer communication, more transparency about decisions, and regular updates like “You Said, We Did” feedback reports after we’ve engaged with you on topic such as the Review of the Act, and the Workforce Strategy.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to professionalism for this critically important profession in Aotearoa. We are committed to being transparent and collaborative in our ongoing regulatory role.
2025 editions of the Annual Social Work Workforce Report and Public Trust Survey Update published
We are pleased to release findings from two important surveys completed this year: the Public Trust Survey Update 2025 and the Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2025.
As both the occupational regulator and lead agency for workforce planning, we see an interconnected picture emerging from this research.
The Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2025 provides unique insights into the social worker workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are fortunate to have such rich information shared by practicing social workers who completed the voluntary annual workforce survey as they renewed their practising certificates between May and July 2025.
A huge thank you to all participants. Your responses provide invaluable insights into the composition of our social worker workforce, current issues for social work practice and the workplace, and overall challenges for workforce sustainability.
Download the 2025 Annual Social Worker Workforce Report on our website
Social workers enter the profession to make a difference during life’s toughest moments—supporting children, families, the elderly, and others facing hardship. But for that support to work, people need to trust the person helping them. The Public Trust Survey helps us understand how the public feels about the social work profession and how we can support positive change.
Summary of the 2025 update of the Public Trust Survey
Feedback on the workforce strategy and action plan
We received a significant amount of valuable feedback on the draft workforce strategy and action plan we shared with you in July. We have published a summary of the feedback on our website, including the full submissions by professional organisations.
Our engagement activities in this space will continue throughout 2026. Look out for updates in this newsletter and on our website.
Read the summary of feedback on the workforce strategy and action plan on our website
Review of the Social Workers Registration Act
This year we have been formally reviewing the Social Workers Registration Act, which we are required to do every five years. We will soon be providing our draft report to the Minister of Social Development, which will then be released in 2026.
We’ve published a summary of the feedback we’ve received on our website, as well as the full submissions we received from professional bodies. We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our survey, draft submissions and questions, attend webinars and meet with us. Your input and thoughts have helped shape our advice and areas for improvement.
Read the Act review feedback summary on our website
Changes to education fees have been deferred until after 2026
We will not be making changes to the fees paid by tertiary education organisations to the SWRB until after 2026. This deferral is in response to feedback we received from the education sector and stakeholders and aims to provide more certainty for the upcoming academic year.
Thank you for the time and effort put into your submissions and feedback during our recent education fees consultation. We have published a summary of the feedback we received from groups and individuals on our website.
If you have any questions, please contact education@swrb.govt.nz
Read the summary of feedback from the education fees consultation
2024/25 continuing professional development audit kua mutu!
Tenei te mihi kia koutou, big thank you to all those who participated in the 2024/25 CPD audit. We would like to acknowledge the time and effort everyone puts into upholding our profession. This is evident in the audit.
Here are some simple statistics:
- Social workers audited: 507
- Social workers submitted/completed: 436
- Social workers deferred/exempt: 61
Welcoming incoming Board member Lo’i Lilah Volē
Lo’i Lilah Vole has recently joined our board with her first meeting in December. Born and raised in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, Lo’i Lilah is proud of her Samoan heritage. She has village affiliations of her mother Taulesulu Misa Anae Volē (Matāutu- Falelatai and Safa’ato’a-Lefaga) and her late father Atiliai Volē (Fasito’outa and Sa’anapu).
Lo’i Lilah brings two decades of experience in the public sector to the Board, as well as her extensive experience as a social worker.
Farewelling outgoing Board member Gisa Dr Mose Ma’alo Faleolo
Moses’ last board meeting was in November as he retired from the
SWRB Board by rotation. Thank you for your service and commitment
to the profession and the SWRB Board, Moses.
Section 13 pathway applications close 27 February 2026
The final day to begin a registration application through the section 13 (recognition of prior social work experience) pathway closes on Friday, 27 February 2026. Applications submitted on or before this date will still be considered
We have published three new policies published on our website
Following their approval by the SWRB Board, we have published three new policies on our website: the Use of Personal Names, Return to Practice (after a break in practice), and SWRB Fees.
Read these policies on our website
Our office is closed over the Christmas–New Year period
Our office will be closed for the Christmas–New Year period from Friday, 19 December 2025. We will resume our usual operating hours from Monday, 5 January 2026.
If you wish to leave a message for us over the summer break, please send us an email explaining your query in detail (these are easier for our team to handle, than a telephone message asking us to call you back).
Concerns about a social worker’s conduct: professionalstandards@swrb-govt-nz
Questions about registration or applications: applications@swrb-govt-nz
General admin queries: office@swrb.govt.nz
