Foreign-trained doctors will now have a greater chance at joining the New Zealand workforce, with a rise in the number of exam spots for those looking to get accredited. 

The medical council announced it is increasing the number of spots for New Zealand registration exams from 60 up to 180 from 2025. 

Health New Zealand have been instructed to move to secure the clinical placements needed to speed up transitions. 

Health Minister Shane Reti tells Tim Beveridge foreign-trained doctors in New Zealand have taken up work such as driving taxis because they couldn’t sit the examination to become accredited.  

“That makes no sense when we need doctors.” 

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