Strengthening the primary care workforce: The College welcomes employment changes for GPEP 1 registrars

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) welcomes the Minister’s announcement that Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) will become the direct employer for General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) Year One registrars from February 2027.

GPEP 1 registrars will continue to be able to choose practice employment alongside this new change.

The College and Health NZ have worked together on this change to provide registrars with a smoother transition into GPEP with pay, terms and conditions aligned with other specialist vocational programmes.

College CE, Toby Beaglehole says that the announcement continues the positive momentum towards investing in the future of primary care and ensuring it remains sustainable.

“This announcement is a very positive step forward in removing barriers for house officers joining our GPEP programme, with the continuation of their employment with Health NZ.

“Alongside the new Primary Care pathway for PGY2s, this is another step forward that continues to build the attractiveness of being a specialist General Practitioner, which will result in a more sustainable primary care system in New Zealand. We know specialist GPs are vital to the health of our communities in New Zealand and are at the frontline of our healthcare system.”

The 2022 Malatest report highlighted that leaving the hospital-based system was the most significant barrier for doctors entering GP training.

“It's great that GPEP registrars can choose to be employed under Health NZ, with the resultant benefits of continuity of employment that come with this and hopefully enabling similar conditions of employment to their hospital colleagues,” says Dr Ella Barclay, Chair of the College’s Registrar Chapter.

The College continues to aim to get 300 registrars into the GPEP training programme each year, with a clear focus on strengthening New Zealand’s primary care workforce by ensuring that we have more GPs and the workforce pipeline remains sustainable.

With Health NZ now becoming the employer of registrars who are not employed by a private practice in their first year of GPEP training, the College will retain its leadership over educational content, training standards, quality assurance, and clinical placements.

The option for registrars to be employed by a private practice will remain a core component of the GPEP training pathway and has not changed under this agreement.

The College and Health NZ will work together to ensure this process is seamless for new registrars applying for GPEP in 2027.

Applications for the 2027 GPEP intake will be open from Monday 9 March – Monday 13 April 2026. Find out more and apply on the College website: Specialise as a general practitioner | RNZCGP.