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In order for your ACE Nursing application to be deemed complete you will need to supply or complete the following components. (Please remember to save each section as you complete them, the save button is always at the bottom of each page).

ACE Nursing Application Form

  • Eligibility for ACE Nursing 
  • Personal Details
  • Education
  • Declaration
  • Workforce/Diversity Questionnaire
  • Consent

References

  • You are required to provide two references as part of your application.
  • One of your referees must be a Clinical Tutor from your nursing school or tertiary provider and the other must be a Nurse Preceptor employed by the organisation where you completed your final placement (TTP) in your final year. It is mandatory that you use the referees from your final placement in your third year.
  • The exception to this is are Southern IT, UCOL and Otago Polytechnic candidates - who may use references from the placement directly prior to their final year due to starting their TPP late in accordance to ACE timelines. 
  • Both references must be requested, completed and returned via the ACE system within the four weeks that applications are open in order for your application to be deemed complete and to progress to the next stage of the process. For information on how to request references please see the ACE Applicant Guide or the Reference Section within your ACE application. If you are having difficulty getting in touch with your referees, or your referees are not completing your references, please contact the ACE centre on 0800 223 226.

Employer Preferences

  • You will be required to select up to three employers you wish to work for and the ranking order in which you wish to work for them. It is recommended that applicants apply to multiple employers as this means their application can be considered for a greater number of applications. However, applicants are discouraged from selecting any employer they would not be prepared to accept an offer from, because if they are matched to an employer there is an expectation they will accept the offer.
  • Please note that these preferences can be amended up until 9am, Monday 24 June 2024 for the Mid Year 2024 intake. If you wish to amend your preferences after applications close, you will need to email ACE nursing@acenz.net.nz to do this.

Practice Setting Preferences

  • You will need to prefer the practice setting areas (clinical areas) in which you would like to work. If you wish to apply to NESP you will need to preference Mental Health and Addictions and if you wish to apply to NETP you will need to apply to (at least) one of the other 18 practice setting areas available within the ACE system. A full list of these areas and information about specific practice setting areas are available here. Note that if you wish to apply to both NESP and NETP you will need to preference Mental Health and Addictions as well as one other practice setting area.
  • Employer vacancies will differ. As such, you are encouraged to review individual employer websites, where they will make available their intended practice setting areas, to decide which practice setting areas you will apply to. It is advised that applicants avoid applying to areas which their preferred employers have no vacancies in. Often, ACE will not know what practice settings will be offered by each DHB right up until the interview and assessments stage. Please refer to the employer information page and contact the NETP coordinators for more information.
  • Be aware that ACE only match graduates to NETP or NESP positions, employers are responsible for allocating their match graduates to specific areas, services or wards. As such, it is not possible to guarantee specifically where you will be working when applying to ACE.

Resume (CV)

  • Applicants are required to supply an up to date Resume (CV) as part of their ACE application. A Resume Template is available as a guide however applicants are encouraged to develop their own format and style of document. Note that CVs need to be created and saved as PDFs in order to be uploaded to your ACE application. If you do not have a PDF converter on your personal laptop, you might find that the common computers at your tertiary institute will have them, there are also others available online, just google them. ACE will only accept PDF copies of all of your documents because it guarantees that each employer can open and view your documents.

Cover Letter

  • Uploading at least one cover letter is mandatory. You can either address a single cover letter to all of your ranked employers (up to three) OR you can upload a different cover letter for each employer you rank. Full details on what you should include within your cover letter can be found within the ACE Applicant Guide however it is strongly recommended you do your research prior to writing your Cover Letters and consider the areas that employers have vacancies within.

Verified Academic Transcript 

  • Every ACE applicant must supply an up-to-date copy of their most up to date Bachelor of Nursing academic transcript which has either been certified by a Justice of the Peace (JP), Lawyer, Court Registrar or Police Officer or verified (by their Nursing School) as being a true and accurate record of the grades awarded.
  • Applicants may supply the following versions of their Academic Transcript:
    • An unofficial academic transcript verified by the Nursing School
    • An unofficial academic transcript certified against by a JP, Lawyer, Court Registrar or Police Officer
    • An official academic transcript certified by a JP, Lawyer, Court Registrar or Police Officer
    • An official academic transcript verified by the Nursing School

Verified Identification and Residency/Citizenship Documents

  • Applicants are required to supply certified copies of one of the following sets of documentation. Documents can be certified by a Justice of the Peace (JP), Lawyer, Court Registrar or a Police Officer. These certified copies must then be scanned and uploaded to your application in PDF format. If you have had a statutory name change by deed poll, please provide the proof by scanning this document together with your New Zealand Driver's License or Student Identification Card. 
  • New Zealand Citizens: The photo page of a New Zealand Passport plus New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver’s License.  For New Zealand Citizens in lieu of a New Zealand Passport or New Zealand Driver's License, ACE will accept a New Zealand Citizenship Certificate or New Zealand Full Birth Certificate that is issued on or after 1 January 1998 and that carries a unique identification number.
  • Permanent Resident Visa or Returning Resident Visa Holders: The photo page of an Overseas Passport plus the relevant Visa Document plus New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver’s License.
  • Australian Citizens: The photo page of an Australian Passport plus New Zealand Tertiary Student Identification Card or New Zealand Driver’s License.

For the purpose of ACE application only we will accept a certified copy of an expired New Zealand passport. Usually this would not have expired more than 5 years ago. You can also use copies of ID documents that have been certified previously as long as they are clear and readable. This exception is only for your ACE application. If you are matched to an employer then they might ask for additional documents later on according to their employment process.

  0800 223 236