From 1884, Wellington and Auckland hospitals had developed a nurse probationary system modelled on Florence Nightingale’s work, and subsequently extended the preparation of nurses to include formal teaching. Grace Neill, who had trained at Charing Cross Hospital, London, recognised the need for establishing and maintaining standards, and sought statutory registration to achieve this end. The Registration Act provided for three years’ training and a final examination to qualify for registration - the first state system in the world and a great advance for the status and quality of this predominantly women’s profession.