To practise social work in New Zealand you are required to register with the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB). As the national regulator and Crown entity established under the Social Workers Registration Act, we are the only organisation authorised to register social workers.
There are three pathways to registration:
- NZ social work qualification recognised by the SWRB
- Australian social work qualification accredited by the AASW
- Overseas social work qualification.
Until 28 February 2026, section 13 of the Act provided a pathway to registration through recognition of prior experience. We are no longer accepting new applications for this registration pathway.
Who needs to register
Who must be registered and who we advise to register
‘Social worker’ is a protected title. That means only social workers who are registered by the SWRB can use the title ‘social worker’. Title protection was introduced in February 2021 at the same time as mandatory registration.
Who must be registered
You need to be registered if you:
- call yourself a social worker
- are known as a social worker
- are held out to be a social worker.
Who would we advise to register:
If you have a social work qualification and work in social services, the SWRB would advise, and best practice is, that you would become registered. You are in all likelihood using your social work skills and knowledge in the role, and you can be practising social work even if it is not in your job title.
For employers – if your employee has a social work qualification and works in social services, the SWRB’s advice, and best practice is, they would apply to become registered. By having registered social workers, it shows your organisation supports and stands behind a fully professional workforce which adheres to the SWRB’s Code of Conduct. By supporting a registered social worker, regardless of whether the position is called social work, you know your staff are required to meet the standards set by the profession. That helps to build trust and shows the public you take your obligations to public safety seriously.
What is social work practice?
Practising social work can include any one or more of the following:
- working directly with clients, including whānau, hapū and community
- being involved with casework decisions at any level
- managing and/or supervising other social workers
- if you apply your social work values, skills, ethics, and knowledge in your role
- teaching social work practice or theory
- developing policy that impacts upon social work practice
What happens if I’m a practising social worker but not registered?
- As the regulator, the SWRB registers social workers and is responsible for setting standards requiring social workers to be competent, fit to practise, and accountable for their practice.
- It’s really important that if you, or someone you know or work with, are practising as a social worker but is not yet registered, that you/they begin the process of applying.
- If you are not registered, you will no longer be able to call yourself a social worker, and employers will not be able to hire you as a social worker until you become registered.
- Email us on aretheyregistered@swrb.govt.nz if you have a concern about someone who is claiming to be a social worker, but they are not on the public register.
Step 1: Check your eligibility
Use the eligibility tool to see if you are eligible to apply for registration.
As part of your application for registration, we assess whether you’re a fit and proper person to practise social work. This is a legal requirement under section 6 of the Social Workers Registration Act 2023. It helps protect the public and maintain trust in the social work profession.
Understanding the fit and proper assessment
Step 2: Apply for registration
To apply for registration, you will need to create an account on MySWRB, choose your pathway option, and follow the prompts.
Open the MySWRB portal (opens in new tab)
You may also find it helpful to refer to our registration FAQs:
Frequently asked questions for registration applicants
If you have graduated with a NZ social work qualification and plan to register as a social worker, you don’t need to wait for your graduation ceremony. You can apply as soon as you have finished your course by providing either:
- an official academic transcript
- a confirmation of completion letter/form from your tertiary institution which includes the date you will be graduating.
You will then need to upload a number of documents. These are listed below.
Documents to upload
- Confirmation of qualification
This can be either- your certificate which shows the name of your institute and the date of conferral or
- your official academic transcript which shows you have completed your degree and are eligible to graduate
- For new graduates: a letter from your institute confirming you have met the requirements to graduate
- Ten year timeline
- This is a summary or list of your work/study/extended leave/travel for the past 10 years. You can provide this in a table with a row for each year, or as a simple bullet point list in a Word document for example.
- Photo (Optional, passport-sized and less than six months old)
- A professional reference:
Confidential Professional Reference Template
- This needs to be emailed to applications@swrb.govt.nz by your referee
- Proof of identity
Please provide 1 primary form of identification and 1 secondary form of identification from the following lists (one of which must be photo ID):- Primary IDs include:
- Passport (NZ or overseas)
- NZ firearms licence
- NZ full birth certificate (issued on or after 1998)
- NZ citizenship certificate
- NZ refugee travel document
- NZ emergency travel document
- NZ certificate of identity
- Secondary IDs include:
- NZ driver licence
- Kiwi Access/18+ card
- NZ full birth certificate (issued before 1998)
- Super Gold Card
- NZ student photo identification card
- International driving permit
- Selfie photo
- A photo of you holding one of either a primary or secondary form of photo ID next to your face.
- Primary IDs include:
Circumstantial documents
Depending on your circumstances you may be asked to provide some other documents (see below) which is made clear in the online process.
- Reflective statement
- Character reference
- Certificate of good standing
- Overseas police certificate
If you are applying for registration through the overseas qualification pathway, you may need to supply additional documents. Please check the individual pathway information for details.
Go to the overseas qualification pathway page
You will also be required to undergo New Zealand Police vetting which is done online during the registration application. The Social Workers Registration Act 2003 and the Police require us to do this separately so you cannot use a police vetting result from another organisation.
Provisional to full registration
If you have been successful in your application to register, you will be either:
- fully registered
- provisionally registered.
If you have been given provisional registration, your minimum requirements will include completing 2,000 hours of supervised social work practice in NZ. There are additional requirements if you are overseas-qualified.
Find out more about provisional registration
Step 3: Apply for your practising certificate
Once registered you will need to apply for a practising certificate.
As a registered social worker, you are required to:
- hold a practising certificate which is renewed each year
- adhere to the Code of Conduct and
- undertake continuing professional development.
To obtain a practising certificate, log into MySWRB with your username and password, and click Apply for practising certificate.
Why you need to be registered and hold a practising certificate
Becoming registered means you have met all the criteria to become a social worker. It means you have been assessed as being competent, fit to practise, and will be held accountable for the way you practise. Once registered, you will remain on the register unless you ask to be removed or the SWRB Board decides to remove you.
The practising certificate is the document that shows you are legally able to practise as a social worker in New Zealand that year.
Each year, when you renew your practising certificate online, you are demonstrating your commitment to being a professional and declaring that you:
- are competent
- fit to practise
- are being held accountable for the way you practise, i.e. you have undertaken continuing professional development, including supervision
- have informed the SWRB of any serious health issues or convictions.
