Feedback on medical laboratory science scope of practice review

11 Nov, 2026

Earlier this year the Council asked practitioners, stakeholders and members of the public to share their views of the Medical Laboratory Science scopes of practice as part of a review. The feedback received has now been reviewed, and a summary report of the responses is available below. 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback and contribute to the review process.

Next steps

After publishing a News update on 1 September 2026, and reviewing the consultation feedback received, the Council intends to make changes to the scope structure.

The Council intends to stop registration in the provisional scopes and combine the Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) and Medical Laboratory Pre-Analytical Technician (MLPT) scopes into a single scope of practice.

These changes will not take effect straight away. The Council will provide further information and guidance before any changes are implemented.

Further consultation

Before the changes are made, the Council will undertake further consultation as part of the review process.  Information about what these changes mean for practitioners will be shared as the work progresses and further decisions are made. 

If you have any questions, please email mscconsultations@medsci.co.nz with the subject line MLS scope of practice.