Medical Practitioners Act 1995

                                 PART I

                         Preliminary Provisions

   2. Interpretation---(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise
 requires,---
     ``Annual practising certificate'' means an annual practising
         certificate issued under Part IV of this Act:
     ``Approved institution'' means any medical school or university for
         the time being approved by the Council pursuant to section 4 of
         this Act:
     ``Approved person'' means a person (or a person of a kind) approved
         or deemed to be approved by the Council for the purposes of
         section 15 (1) of this Act:
     ``Certificate of registration'' means a certificate of registration
         issued under section 38 (1) of this Act:
     ``Chairperson'' means the chairperson of the Tribunal:
     ``Competence programme'' means a programme set or recognised by the
         Council under section 62 of this Act:
     ``Complaint'' means a complaint made under section 83 (1) of this
         Act:
     ``Complaints assessment committee'' means a complaints assessment
         committee appointed under section 88 of this Act:
     ``Council'' means the Medical Council of New Zealand continued by
         section 122 of this Act:
     ``Director of Proceedings'' means the person for the time being
         designated under section 15 of the Health and Disability
         Commissioner Act 1994 as the Director of Proceedings:
     ``Document'' has the same meaning as it has in the Official
         Information Act 1982:
     ``Financial year'', in relation to the Council, means the period
         commencing on the 1st day of April in any year and ending with
         the close of the 31st day of March in the following year:
     ``General registration'' means registration under Part III of this
         Act that has the effect specified in section 20 of this Act:
     ``Health and Disability Commissioner'' means the Health and
         Disability Commissioner appointed under the Health and
         Disability Commissioner Act 1994:
     ``Hospital'' means---
           (a) A licensed hospital within the meaning of Part V of the
         Hospitals Act 1957:
           (b) A hospital within the meaning of the Mental Health
         (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992:
           (c) An institution within the meaning of the Alcoholism and
         Drug Addiction Act 1966:
     ``Interim practising certificate'' means an interim practising
         certificate issued under section 57 of this Act:
     ``Interim registration'' means registration under Part III of this
         Act that has the effect specified in section 30 of this Act:
     ``Medical officer of health'' has the same meaning as in section 2
         (1) of the Health Act 1956:
     ``Medical practitioner'' or ``practitioner'' means a person
         registered under this Act:
     ``Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal'' or ``Tribunal''
         means the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal
         constituted under section 96 of this Act:
     ``Medicine'' includes surgery; and ``medical'' has a corresponding
         meaning:
     ``Mental or physical condition'' means any mental or physical
         condition or impairment; and, without limiting the generality of
         the foregoing, includes alcohol or drug abuse:
     ``Minister'' means the Minister of Health:
     ``Practising certificate'' means an annual practising certificate or
         an interim practising certificate:
     ``President'' means the president of the Council:
     ``Probationary registration'' means registration under Part III of
         this Act that has the effect specified in section 17 of this
         Act:
     ``Recertification programme'' means a programme set or recognised by
         the Council under section 63 of this Act:
     ``Register'' means the register of medical practitioners maintained
         under section 37 of this Act, or where separate registers are
         maintained in terms of that section, any or all of the registers
         maintained, as the case may be:
     ``Registered health professional'' has the same meaning as in
         section 4 (1) of the Health and Disability Commissioner Act
         1994:
     ``Registrar'' means the Registrar to the Council appointed under
         clause 17 of the Second Schedule to this Act:
     ``Registration'' means any of the following types of registration:
           (a) Probationary registration:
           (b) General registration:
           (c) Vocational registration:
           (d) Temporary registration:
           (e) Interim registration;---
   and ``registered'' has a corresponding meaning:
     ``Secretary'' means the secretary of the Tribunal:
     ``Supervisor'', in relation to a person who holds probationary
         registration, means a medical practitioner appointed, pursuant
         to section 16 (1) of this Act, to supervise that person:
     ``Temporary registration'' means registration under Part III of this
         Act that has the effect specified in section 25 of this Act:
     ``Title of a medical practitioner'' means---
           (a) The style or title of a physician, surgeon, doctor,
         licentiate in medicine, bachelor of medicine, or medical
         practitioner; or
           (b) Any name, title, or description stating or implying that a
         person holds any diploma or degree in medicine or is otherwise
         specially qualified to practise medicine:
     ``Vocational register'' means the part of the register, or the
         separate register, maintained under section 37 (1) (c) of this
         Act which relates to medical practitioners who hold vocational
         registration:
     ``Vocational registration'' means registration under Part III of
         this Act that has the effect specified in section 23 of this
         Act:
     ``Working day'' means a day of the week other than---
           (a) Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day,
         the Sovereign's birthday, Labour Day, and Waitangi Day; and
           (b) A day in the period commencing with the 25th day of
         December in any year and ending with the 2nd day of January in
         the following year; and
           (c) If the 1st day of January in any year falls on a Friday,
         the following Monday; and
           (d) If the 1st day of January in any year falls on a Saturday
         or a Sunday, the following Monday and Tuesday.

   (2) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to
 medicine shall be deemed to include a reference to any branch of
 medicine.