There is the HPCAA (Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003) which does cover part of this, as far as practicing within your scope of practice. However there is no legal requirement other than to abide by New Zealand Consumer Law and the Fair Trading Act.
It really is a sad state of affairs in New Zealand as far as that is concerned. It is also a subject which can wind a lot of therapists up.
And, yes. It frustrates me when I see a 2 day Certificate or 10 day Diploma course in either Massage or Aromatherapy. If it were up to me, A minimum of 1 year study at NZQA level 4 (relaxation) / 5 (therapeutic) would be required in order for someone to be considered “qualified”. But sadly in New Zealand that is not the case. There are no standards in place at this stage as far as qualifications go. From my personal experience of studying, there is no way anyone could obtain enough in depth knowledge as far as Anatomy and Physiology or Musculoskeletal is concerned in a “short” 2 – 10 day course.
Your best form of attack is to remain completely professional, It is not in your best interests to go around telling people that the “unqualified” person is not suppose to be working as a Massage or Aromatherapy Practitioner. Doing that simply makes you look un-professional.
I have heard of a case where one therapist took it upon themselves to ring such a person and try and tell them they are not allowed to be practicing as an Aromatherapist. For starters, it is border line harassment. It would achieve nothing. As I said before, unqualified practitioners are not breaking any laws in New Zealand. Yet!
If you feel strongly about the subject, Start talking to “your” professional body. These are the organisations who are suppose to be be working with the government to get regulations in place to stop unqualified people working and make the industry a safer place for both clients and qualified therapists alike.
There are two professional bodies in New Zealand one of which is for Massage and the other for Aromatherapy.
If you are part of a professional organisation who doesn’t appear to be doing anything, maybe you should start questioning those organisation why they are not doing anything to start getting regulations in place.
If you are on talking terms with someone who is practicing Massage or Aromatherapy and they are unqualified, there is nothing stopping you from politely pointing them towards an education provider where they can become fully qualified. : )
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