Hi,
I have just "googled" some info for you in regards to NZ conditions:
1) Annual workforce survery 2007 (done in 2008): 1999 Physios registered, of which 465 are self-employed in private practice, 395 employed in private practice, 500 in DHBs (= public hospital) and the rest works elsewhere (too much detail).
2) Average salary for Physios in NZ is around NZ$ 42.600, with the average gross salary being $65.000. That's a very high estimate in my opinion, and would account for a lot of Senior Physios (5 years or more) working in private practice.
3) status: in NZ, Physios are independant and autonomous, which means, that we are trained to do patient analysis and evaluation ourselves, hence determining the amount and frequency of treatment. We can accept patients, who self refer, but are commonly referred patients by their doctors or Insurance providers. In private practice, patients have to either pay for the treatment themselves, or are covered by their insurance. Treatments in public and private hospitals are paid for by government funding. We work interdisciplinary together with Doctors, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Psychologists, Behavioural Optometrists, Social Workers, etc. the list is endless and all are autonomous within their chosen profession.
It is not a profession to make the rich list, but you can live nicely of the salary/ wages.
Hope this helps,
regards,
Fyzzio