Abstract This article reviews the practical, ethical, and policymaking dimensions of public service interpreting and translation in New Zealand. It shows that the country has had a limited tradition in translation and interpreting and that historically bilingual community members have been asked to perform T&I without specific training. Our review also reveals that several factors may explain the ongoing use of non-professionals across public settings: the availability of bilingual staff and community volunteers, the misrecognition of the T&I role, difficulties around procurement of highly skilled practitioners, and cost concerns. Policymakers and other members of the community have identified that these factors can negatively impact quality standards and professional ethics, as seen in the government’s recent initiative to regulate and professionalize the sector. We report on this initiative and our advisory role concerning the endorsement of a teleological approach to professional ethics.