This programme is designed to extend and deepen an individual’s professional practice and apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of fields of health and social practice which include, but is not limited to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, midwifery, social work, counselling and human services. It will offer learning opportunities designed to inform your practice and develop valued knowledge in Treaty-based practice. You will learn and grow professionally while undertaking interactive and experiential-based education.

This postgraduate diploma will extend students' existing qualifications and will allow higher-level professional development that is interprofessional. Students will gain the skills to develop, analyse and generate solutions to complex and sometimes unpredictable problems. This qualification is relevant to practitioners from a wide range of practice contexts, and the resulting interprofessional interaction of health and social services practitioners will enhance and strengthen service delivery in the region.

An interprofessional context will enable graduates to extend their capacity for critical and professional/clinical reasoning for specialist practice, leadership, and management in complex professional environments.

Candidates may take up to three years to complete the postgraduate diploma. This programme is delivered by a combination of block courses and online.

This programme will not lead to New Zealand health or social service professional registration.

The Post Graduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice Mental Health and Addiction endorsement is a DAPAANZ Accreditation Programme and will meet the educational requirements for DAPAANZ registration.

The aim of this programme is to provide you with greater capacity to work in specialised practitioner, practice leader, manager, educator, or researcher roles either in a student's current field or within specialised fields of practice which include: working with children and youth, the elderly, people with disabilities, refugees and migrants and in the area of mental health. Graduates can become skilled in a new field, or further advance their current specialisation.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice will position graduates well to move into Masters level qualifications at other New Zealand universities.