This article provides an introduction to The Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act (HPCAA) which took effect on 18 September 2004. The Act was introduced to provide consistent accountability across health professions and make it easier for the New Zealand public to understand what health service each registered professional provides. To make this transparent, each of the health profession's Authorities registered under the Act, has consulted widely with members to establish a scope or scopes of practice which the profession operates in. By making these scopes of practice transparent, health professionals will be limited to specific professional activities defined by their Registration Boards and there will be penalties for operating outside these specified scopes of practice. Thirteen district meetings were held in 2004 to provide information to field staff about what the HPCAA means for their practice and what they can do about shaping practice to match the requirements of the Act. These meetings raised issues from the field about provision of equipment, professional development, portfolios, competencies, complaints and reflective practice. (Contains 3 footnotes and 3 tables.)