Moving to Australia as a New Zealand speech-language therapist

NZ speech-language therapists who trained in New Zealand, are full NZSTA members and have 1,000 hours of work in the past five years can use the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). It costs A$825 and SPA aims to give an outcome within seven weeks of a complete application. Unlike NZ OTs, you don’t transfer registration through Trans-Tasman mutual recognition: speech pathology isn’t Ahpra-registered, so SPA’s assessment is the step that matters.

Who can use the MRA

• Trained in New Zealand
• Full NZSTA member who graduated in 1993 or later (earlier graduates can’t use the MRA)
• A letter of good standing from NZSTA
• At least 1,000 hours of speech pathology work in the past five years

If you have fewer than 1,000 hours of speech pathology work in the last five years, you can’t use the MRA yet. For most new graduates that means waiting. If that’s you, here’s the new graduate timeline.

Do I need a visa?

NZ citizens can live and work in Australia without applying for a visa in advance. If you’re working in NZ but aren’t an NZ citizen, you’ll need an Australian visa. Speak to a registered migration agent.

Your SPA outcome comes first

Speech pathology isn’t Ahpra-registered. SPA says you must be eligible for Certified Practising membership to work in most Australian organisations, and it strongly discourages travelling to Australia to work before your assessment is complete. That applies even though NZ citizens can move without a visa.

Pay: Health NZ vs Queensland Health

The NZ figures predate the allied health increases of 2.5% from December 2025 and a further 2% due in December 2026. Convert at today’s rate before comparing. Australian employers also pay superannuation on top of salary.

Healthcare

NZ’s reciprocal agreement covers public hospital care and some PBS medicines only, not GP visits or other Medicare (MBS) services. That’s the cover for visitors. If you’re an NZ citizen moving to live in Australia, check your own Medicare eligibility with Services Australia once you arrive.

What changes across the Tasman

• Terms: you’ll be a “speech pathologist”, not a speech-language therapist.
• Funding: many paediatric roles are in private practice, often funded through families’ NDIS plans, with reports written for those plans.
• Choice: NZ citizens don’t need a sponsor, so you can choose an employer on fit: the supervision, the caseload and the team.