How the MCNZ Defines Professional Conduct

The MCNZ's conduct framework is built on the principle that every doctor's behaviour (in the consulting room, in the team, online, and in the wider community) contributes to public trust in the profession. Conduct is not only what happens during a clinical encounter. It is the totality of how a doctor behaves while holding the privilege of medical registration. For a fuller view of the cornerstone document that anchors every conduct expectation discussed here, see our guide on Good Medical Practice New Zealand 2026.

Good Medical Practice is the Council's flagship statement, supported by specific guidance on topics including consent, confidentiality, social media, sexual boundaries, cultural safety, and telehealth. Together these documents define what the MCNZ considers acceptable, and what constitutes a breach of conduct under the HPCAA framework.

The Key Conduct Expectations Every NZ Doctor Should Know

1. Honesty and Trustworthiness

Doctors must be truthful in records, in communication with patients, in dealings with colleagues and the MCNZ, and in any public statements. Dishonesty is treated as a fundamental breach of medical professionalism and consistently attracts the most severe HPDT outcomes.

What this looks like in practice

Records that accurately reflect what was discussed and decided; billing that matches services delivered; accurate representation of qualifications; full and honest responses to any regulator enquiry, even when difficult.

2. Respect for Patients

Every patient is entitled to respectful care regardless of background, condition, or circumstance. Discrimination, dismissiveness, and disrespect are conduct concerns under MCNZ standards, and increasingly visible to the Council through patient feedback and complaints.

3. Clear Consent and Shared Decision-Making

Patients have the right under the Code of Rights to be fully informed before treatment. MCNZ expects documented consent discussions, supported decisions, and respect for patient autonomy including the right to refuse. A signed consent form is not a documented discussion.

4. Confidentiality

Confidentiality is foundational to trust. Breaches through casual discussion, social media, insecure systems, AI-assisted documentation tools, or inadequate team practices are conduct concerns under both MCNZ standards and the Privacy Act 2020.

5. Professional Boundaries

Sexual boundaries are absolute. No sexual or romantic relationship with a current patient is acceptable under any circumstances. MCNZ also addresses dual relationships, gifts of significant value, personal contact with patients outside clinical settings, and digital boundaries including social media and messaging.

6. Cultural Safety and Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The MCNZ has made cultural safety an explicit conduct expectation as continuing competence, not a one-off training event. Doctors must engage with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognise health inequities, and adjust practice to deliver culturally responsive care across Māori, Pasifika, Asian, refugee, migrant, and disability communities.

7. Respect for Colleagues and Team-Based Care

Bullying, harassment, discrimination, or disrespect towards colleagues (including other doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, and administrative staff) can each amount to a conduct concern. The MCNZ now treats team conduct as a fitness-to-practise matter.

8. Honest and Timely Open Disclosure

When something goes wrong, doctors are expected to disclose openly, apologise where appropriate, and support the patient through the process. Concealment, defensiveness, or delay is a serious conduct concern and is consistently identified in HPDT decisions as compounding the underlying issue.

9. Safe Digital and Social Media Conduct

Online behaviour is professional behaviour. Content that breaches confidentiality, disparages colleagues or patients, or damages public trust in the profession can each trigger a conduct review. Personal content identifiable to you as a doctor is still subject to MCNZ standards.

10. Self-Care and Health

Fitness to practise includes physical and mental health. MCNZ expects doctors to manage their own health, seek support when needed, and not practise when impaired. Doctor wellbeing is increasingly recognised as a foundation for safe practice, not a separate concern.

Conduct Expectations Summary Table

How Conduct Concerns Are Assessed

When a concern is raised, the MCNZ considers the seriousness of the behaviour, the context, the risk to the public, and the doctor's insight and response. A single misstep addressed with genuine insight and remediation is treated very differently from a pattern of concerning behaviour or a serious breach of fundamental duties. Outcomes can range from education and advice through to referral to a Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. For a fuller breakdown of where the line is drawn between everyday gaps and conduct that triggers formal regulatory action, see our guide on unprofessional conduct under the MCNZ in New Zealand.

A Realistic Look at Conduct Assessment in Action

Practical Habits That Demonstrate Good Conduct Daily

Document consent conversations fully

Written evidence is the strongest protection when consent is later questioned. Document the substance, not just the signature.

Treat every patient interaction as professional conduct

Short, dismissive, or rushed interactions are the top of a long slope. Patient feedback is increasingly visible to regulators.

Audit your digital presence annually

Social media conduct is professional conduct under MCNZ standards. Review what is public, archived, or tagged each year.

Respond constructively to concerns

Defensiveness compounds risk; insight and action reduce it. Seek qualified advice early before responding to any formal concern.

Invest in CPD that builds insight

Ethics, boundaries, communication, and reflective practice are foundational. For practical guidance on building this part of your portfolio, see our resource on the Medical Council of New Zealand professional standards: a CPD guide for New Zealand doctors in 2026.

Protect your own wellbeing

Sustainable practice depends on it. Burnout and fatigue quietly reshape clinical behaviour and are increasingly recognised as fitness-to-practise considerations.

Your Practical Conduct Compliance Checklist