Abstract
Effective preceptorship has consistently been identified as an essential support process for graduate nurses in their first year of practice. Quality preceptorship supports a new graduate to develop confidence and competence and is seen as a critical component of any new graduate programme. This paper provides an overview of nurse entry to practice (NETP) programmes within New Zealand, along with key findings from a commissioned evaluation study during 2007–2009 that focused on preceptorship support for new graduate nurses. Findings from the evaluation identified access to preceptors, the importance of the preceptor/new graduate relationship, preceptor preparation for their role and the overall culture of support as important. Nursing leadership is additionally identified as a critical component to support effective preceptorship in any new graduate nursing programme.