The Nursing Council of New Zealand is the regulatory authority responsible for the registration of nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its primary function is to protect the health and safety of members of the public by ensuring that nurses are competent and fit to practise. It fulfils this function by: registering nurses setting ongoing competence requirements and issuing practising certificates setting scopes of practice and the qualifications required for registration accrediting and monitoring education providers and setting the state examination providing guidelines and standards for practice receiving and acting on notifications of health and competence concerns receiving and acting on complaints about the conduct of nurses promoting public awareness of the Council's responsibilities. The Council's role and responsibilities are outlined in the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCA Act)