Abstract: Argues that the Fundamentals of Care (FOC) conceptual framework is essential for nursing schools to teach and on which to assess nursing students for clinical competency. Provides a national overview of undergraduate pre-registration nursing curricula in NZ, exploring what and how schools of nursing teach and assess FoC. Distributes a cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire to course coordinators between 2019 and 2020, revealing variations in how FOC is taught and the lack of standardisation in course design. Highlights the opportunity for the Nursing Council to develop a national, evidenced-based FOC educational strategy.