Nanny Vetting in New Zealand: A Parent’s Complete Guide

Nanny vetting is a structured way to test whether the information a candidate provides is genuine, relevant and consistent—and whether the whole picture supports placing that person in a position of trust. It is more than a background check and more than reading a polished profile.

Good vetting answers several different questions. Is this the person named in the application? Does their work history make sense? Did previous families observe the qualities being claimed? Are qualifications current? Is there information from Police that is relevant to the role? How does the person reason through realistic childcare situations? Finally, do those pieces support a considered suitability decision for this particular work?

These questions cannot be collapsed into a single green tick. A person may have a current first aid certificate but limited newborn experience. A positive reference may describe after-school care rather than sole-charge infant care. A Police vet may disclose no relevant information at the time it is produced, but it cannot predict future behaviour. The role, the child and the evidence must be considered together.

NannyOra’s operational safety-check system separates seven evidence areas. A check can be not started, submitted, verified, rejected or—only where appropriate—not applicable. That distinction matters: a document being uploaded is not the same as NannyOra having verified it.

1. 1

   Verify identity

   Confirm that the person matches reliable, current identity documents. The aim is to connect every later check to the correct individual—not to collect more personal information than the role requires.
2. 2

   Check work history

   Ask for dates, duties, children’s age groups and reasons for leaving. Discuss any unexplained gaps without assuming that a gap is a problem. Look for a coherent history that can be tested with referees.
3. 3

   Confirm professional registrations

   Where a nanny claims a current teaching registration, ECE qualification or specialist credential, verify it with the relevant issuing body. A qualification should be both genuine and relevant to the care your child needs.
4. 4

   Speak with nominated referees

   Contact a non-family referee who directly observed the candidate’s work. Confirm the relationship, dates and duties before asking about reliability, judgment, communication, boundaries and whether they would rehire.
5. 5

   Complete the relevant Police vet

   For NannyOra’s applicable deeper verification pathway, NannyOra obtains its own New Zealand Police vet with consent. Treat the result as one input into a broader assessment, never as a pass-or-fail safety certificate.
6. 6

   Run a safety-focused interview

   Use behavioural and scenario questions to explore how the candidate thinks. Ask for real examples involving emergencies, behaviour, safe sleep, transport, medication, confidentiality and communication with parents.
7. 7

   Make a documented risk assessment

   Bring the evidence together. Consider inconsistencies, unresolved gaps, the level of access to children, transport, overnight or sole-charge care, specialist needs, and any controls that must be in place before deciding.

This process is designed to make gaps visible, not to imply that every registered person has completed every check. You can see the fuller platform process on NannyOra’s verification page and learn how badges are used in the trust and safety guide.

A New Zealand Police vet can disclose information held by Police that is relevant to the authorised agency’s eligible purpose. It is not the same as an individual requesting their own Ministry of Justice criminal record, and New Zealand Police does not issue a “Police clearance certificate.”

Police says only an authorised agency can submit a vetting request, after obtaining the subject’s consent. The report is specific to the requesting agency, role and purpose; results should not be passed from one agency to another. All vets are point-in-time checks with no universal validity period or expiry date. Read the current New Zealand Police vetting process before relying on a report.

• Confirm which organisation requested the vet and for what role or purpose.
• Check the profile’s actual status rather than accepting a general statement that someone is ‘vetted’.
• Do not ask a candidate to forward a confidential report from an unrelated agency.
• Consider the date and what has changed since the point-in-time result.
• Use the result alongside identity, history, references, interview evidence and your paid trial.

A reference check should verify facts before it asks for opinions. Get the candidate’s consent, contact their nominated referee directly and establish how the referee knows the candidate. The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner advises employers to collect only information relevant to the role and not contact other people without express consent.

Start with the relationship

• How did you work with the candidate, and for how long?
• What were the children’s ages and the nanny’s regular duties?
• Were the dates, schedule and reason for leaving consistent with the application?
• Did you directly observe the nanny’s work, or are you repeating someone else’s view?

Then test performance and judgment

• How reliable were they when plans changed, a child was unwell or a parent was delayed?
• How did they communicate incidents, concerns and routine updates?
• Can you give an example of how they responded to challenging behaviour or distress?
• How did they manage privacy, boundaries, transport and household instructions?
• Was there anything you would manage differently if employing them again?
• Would you rehire them for this type of role? Why or why not?

Take factual notes, distinguish direct observations from impressions and store candidate information securely. The Privacy Commissioner’s recruitment privacy guidance explains consent, relevant collection and appropriate handling of applications and checks.

NannyOra uses levels so families can see the difference between a profile that is listed and one that has completed deeper checks. The badge is a starting point: open the profile and review the check details rather than relying on the badge name alone.

Use the same core process for every candidate. Consistency makes comparisons fairer and helps you notice evidence rather than simply reacting to confidence or personality.

• Write the role first: children’s ages, hours, duties, transport, sole-charge periods and specialist needs.
• Read the full profile and record the status of each required check.
• Confirm identity and work eligibility through an appropriate process.
• Compare the candidate’s work history with the experience your role actually needs.
• Verify relevant qualifications, registrations, first aid and driver details where claimed.
• Complete reference checks with consent and resolve inconsistencies respectfully.
• Use structured nanny interview questions and write evidence-based notes.
• Arrange a short paid trial with clear time, rate, duties, supervision and emergency information.
• Document the final role in a suitable nanny contract or employment agreement.
• Prepare the household using the nanny safety checklist.

A red flag is information that needs to be understood—not always an automatic rejection. Focus on whether the candidate is honest, whether the explanation can be verified, and whether the unresolved risk is acceptable for this particular role.

If important evidence remains unresolved, do not rush because you need care immediately. Narrow the duties, delay the start, obtain advice or choose another candidate. Once care begins, keep communication open: review incidents, changes in circumstances, your child’s responses and whether the arrangement still matches the role you vetted.