The Royal New Zealand College Of General Practitioners (the College) is a professional body and postgraduate educational institute that sets standards for general practice in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, providing research, assessment, ongoing

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

and support for general practitioners and general practice. Established in 1974, the College’s motto is ''Cum Scientia Caritas'' which translates as ‘with knowledge, compassion’. This captures its core aim to improve equitable access to quality

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health pr ...

for all New Zealanders. The College is there throughout a general practitioner’s career from initial interest, to

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship, teaching and even owning a practice. The introduction of the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine (DRHM), Kapa Kaiaka and the evolution of Aiming for Excellence in recent years are examples of how the College has listened and acted on the changing landscape of health care. The college has approximately 5,100 members, representing around 90 percent of all general practitioners in New Zealand.

Training programmes

The College administers two training programmes: th
General Practice Education Programme
and th
Rural Hospital Training Programme
Th
General Practice Education Programme
(GPEP) is the pathway to a specialist career as a general practitioner. Th
Rural Hospital Training Programme
teaches core components and specific skills to tackle the wide range of hospital situations in a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...

context.

Organisation

The College is built from six components: the Board, National Advisory Council, Senior Management Team, Educational Advisory Group, chapters and faculty boards.

The Board

A culturally diverse Board governs the College; elected Board members are general practitioners, supported by independent directors. The seven Board members include: * An elected President * Three elected College Fellows * A representative from Te Akoranga a Māui, the College's Maori chapter * Up to two members appointed by the Board, who need not be members of the College

National Advisory Council

The Council is the listening post for all College members and relays critical viewpoints from their local Faculty or Chapter regarding policy issues, priorities for policy work and other opinions from around New Zealand to the Board. The Council is composed of one member from every Faculty and Chapter all over New Zealand.

Senior Management Team

The senior management team leads College staff to achieve our strategic aims of: * Growing the GP workforce * Setting quality standards for practices * Representing our members * Contributing to equitable health care for all New Zealanders.

Education Advisory Group

The EAG provides our Board, chief executive and management team with expert advice for our education and training programmes, including GPEP for registrars, Fellowship Assessment standards, and continuing professional development for Fellows.

Other representative groups

Faculties and Sub-faculties

College faculties are based on geographical areas, and include: Northland,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

, Gisborne,

Hawkes Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

, Manawatu,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

- Marlborough,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, and Southland. Faculty representation sallow members to be involved in discussion and decision-making at a regional level. All college members are automatically assigned to a regional faculty and will receive information about faculty activities directly.

Te Akoranga a Māui

The College's Māori representative group Te Akoranga a Māui is involved in every part of its work, from strategic level to operational level. Membership of Te Akoranga a Māui are open to members who identify as Māori. The name of Te Akoranga a Māui holds special significance for its members and for the College. Māui refers to Sir

Māui Pōmare Sir Māui Wiremu Pita Naera Pōmare (1875 or 1876 – 27 June 1930) was a New Zealand doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures. He is particularly known for his efforts to improve Māori health and ...

, the first Māori doctor to graduate from any medical school, and Akoranga means teaching, learning and education. With more than 150 members, Te Akoranga a Māui is proud to be the first indigenous representative group established in any

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n or New Zealand medical college.

Chapters

The college currently has four chapters based on major national areas of practice:

The Pacific Chapter

Made up of members who identify as Pasifika, it also welcomes members who serve communities with large Pacific populations or have interest in Pacific health issues.

Registrars' Chapter

The voice of registrars; GPEP1 seminar groups elect a representative. During GPEP2/3 a representative is elected from each learning group and one from Rural Hospital Medicine. The resulting committee works together to provide activities that support and represent registrars.

Rural General Practitioners’ Chapter

What issues are facing rural practitioners? How can we put a ‘rural lens’ over the work of the College? What initiatives could improve the quality of rural training and general practice? Rural GPs have the opportunity to connect and collaborate to address these questions through the Chapter’s committees.

The Division of Rural Hospital Medicine

This Chapter serves as a hub to define and improve the body of knowledge for this specialist field, while providing education and collegial support. All Division of Rural Hospital Medicine New Zealand members automatically belong to this Chapter.

Membership

Categories of membership of the college are split into four main groups: * Fellow * Member * Associate in Training * Associate in Practice

Publications

Available on the College website
publications produced by this organisation include: * ''The Journal of Primary Health Care (JPHC)''. * ''GP Pulse'', a current affairs magazine. * ''ePulse'', a e-newsletter carrying salient news items, information about consultations, events, and vacancies. *''Workforce Survey Reports,'' identifying areas of general practice that need attention, as well as shaping the primary care sector's strategic direction.

References

External links

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners
Official website {{authority control Medical associations based in New Zealand Organisations based in New Zealand with royal patronage