Crisis and opportunity? Challenges for the social work profession and education in Aotearoa

The social work profession, and social work education, in Aotearoa New Zealand seem to be at a crisis point. A shortage of qualified and registered social workers has been identified in recent years. A significant contributing factor to this situation is the severe decline in the number of ākonga (students) choosing to study social work, and continuing to complete their degree and start practising as registered social workers. A major factor in this decline has been the impact of the transition in the minimum qualification recognised for social worker registration, from a 3-year bachelor’s degree to the 4-year bachelor’s degree. This has had a substantial impact on ākonga in the time taken to complete, particularly for more mature ākonga, and also financially with an extra year of fees. Student hardship, with impacts on wellbeing for social work students, has been highlighted in recent research. This is particularly severe for indigenous ākonga and others from marginalised backgrounds, with lived experience of social issues including poverty and deprivation. In May 2025, the Social Workers Registration Board published new Education Standards, to take effect on 1 January 2026. In these standards, the 4-year degree requirement has been removed, although a NZQA Level 7 programme remains mandatory. The implementation of these new standards allows tertiary education organisations the opportunity to re-evaluate the needs of the social work profession and the iwi, hapū, whānau and hapori the profession serves, and re-develop programmes to meet the challenges of these times.