Guidelines for professionalism

Best Practice

The following guidelines provide important information on the standards and professional behaviour expected from physiotherapists in New Zealand.


Physiotherapy Standards Framework

The Physiotherapy Standards Framework are published by the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand and provide the foundation for the regulation of physiotherapy in New Zealand. This framework outlines the minimum expectations members of the public should have of individual practitioners and the profession as a whole. 

The framework contains three sections, including the:

Aotearoa New Zealand Physiotherapy Code Of Ethics And Professional Conduct

The Aotearoa New Zealand Physiotherapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Code) provides a foundation for the professional behaviour expected of physiotherapists in Aotearoa New Zealand. Read Here.

Physiotherapy Standards

The Physiotherapy Standards describe in detail the expected minimum clinical and cultural standards for specific issues identified as relevant to physiotherapy. Read Here.

Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds In Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand

The Physiotherapy practice thresholds describe the threshold competence required for initial and continuing registration as a physiotherapist in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Read Here.


Clinical Governance and Leadership Guideline for Physiotherapy

Undertaken with support from ACC the Clinical Governance and Leadership Guideline for Physiotherapy (2020) provides a reference and resource for physiotherapists who want to develop their understanding of clinical governance and clinical leadership, particularly in relation to the Clinical Director requirement for the ACC Physiotherapy Services Contract. This has relevance to all physiotherapy services provided in an outpatient or community setting regardless of size and funding arrangements. Read more about Clinical Governance here.


Adverse Event Reporting

The role of an adverse events reporting system is to enhance consumer safety by learning from events and near misses that can occur when providing health services.

Adverse reactions to physiotherapy interventions are predominantly minor however every organisation / business should have in place a system for documenting adverse events. An electronic template for documenting Patient Adverse Reactions to physiotherapy is available here. This non-identifiable information is collated and reported yearly with the aim of improving practice and reducing patient harm.

Further information is discussed in a Policy & Practice article on Adverse Event Reporting published in Physio Matters June 2018.

The Health Quality Safety Commission's National Adverse Events Reporting Policy provides further information and guidance on adverse events that are required to be reported.


Ethical Case Study Quizzes

A series of Ethical Case Studies are available to PNZ members in an online quiz format, to help explore some of the everyday challenges that physiotherapists come across in clinical practice.

The quizzes are provided for education and can be completed by individuals or in groups to expand the learning experience. For many of the questions there is more than one ‘best’ answer and learning is as much about considering the not so good answers and why these would not be the right course of action.


Page updated August 2023