ABSTRACT
The development of the competencies differs in accordance with local cultural and environmental demands as this learning is context-based in the community of practice. New Zealand is a three-island country in the South Pacific and did not have a public health system until the 1860s. However, with a developing population, nursing changed rapidly from the 1880s onwards with the Nurse Registration Act of 1901 being passed at the same time as hospital-trained nurses became evident. Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, the Nursing Council of New Zealand continues as the statutory body which has responsibility for nurse registration and speciality accreditation, such as prescribing, surgical assistant and multiple nurse practitioner status opportunities. Malaysia is a middle-income country in Asia with a relatively well-developed health system that has focused on acute and infectious diseases to reduce maternal and infant mortality, although non-communicable and chronic diseases are becoming more prevalent.
