diff --git a/nibabel/nicom/tests/test_csareader.py b/nibabel/nicom/tests/test_csareader.py
index d0ecfddc6f..592dd2ba54 100644
--- a/nibabel/nicom/tests/test_csareader.py
+++ b/nibabel/nicom/tests/test_csareader.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 from nose.tools import (assert_true, assert_false, assert_equal, assert_raises)
 
-from numpy.testing.decorators import skipif
+from ...testing import skipif
 
 from nibabel.pydicom_compat import dicom_test, pydicom
 from .test_dicomwrappers import (IO_DATA_PATH, DATA)
diff --git a/nibabel/testing/__init__.py b/nibabel/testing/__init__.py
index 35aac71a49..2c0a93fe32 100644
--- a/nibabel/testing/__init__.py
+++ b/nibabel/testing/__init__.py
@@ -17,12 +17,10 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal
+from numpy.testing import dec
+skipif = dec.skipif
+slow = dec.slow
 
-try:
-    from numpy.testing import dec
-    skipif = dec.skipif
-except ImportError:
-    from numpy.testing.decorators import skipif
 # Allow failed import of nose if not now running tests
 try:
     from nose.tools import (assert_equal, assert_not_equal,
diff --git a/nibabel/tests/nibabel_data.py b/nibabel/tests/nibabel_data.py
index 2ff473fd1d..529e103f46 100644
--- a/nibabel/tests/nibabel_data.py
+++ b/nibabel/tests/nibabel_data.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 from os import environ, listdir
 from os.path import dirname, realpath, join as pjoin, isdir, exists
 
-from numpy.testing.decorators import skipif
+from ..testing import skipif
 
 
 def get_nibabel_data():
diff --git a/nibabel/tests/test_processing.py b/nibabel/tests/test_processing.py
index 2cc2dde2b4..34b30f14c8 100644
--- a/nibabel/tests/test_processing.py
+++ b/nibabel/tests/test_processing.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
 from numpy.testing import (assert_almost_equal,
                            assert_array_equal)
-from numpy.testing.decorators import skipif
+from ..testing import skipif
 
 from nose.tools import (assert_true, assert_false, assert_raises,
                         assert_equal, assert_not_equal)
diff --git a/nibabel/tests/test_quaternions.py b/nibabel/tests/test_quaternions.py
index 7983b7037d..a3f2ba9546 100644
--- a/nibabel/tests/test_quaternions.py
+++ b/nibabel/tests/test_quaternions.py
@@ -11,14 +11,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 from numpy import pi
 
-# Recent (1.2) versions of numpy have this decorator
-try:
-    from numpy.testing.decorators import slow
-except ImportError:
-    def slow(t):
-        t.slow = True
-        return t
-
+from ..testing import slow
 from nose.tools import assert_raises, assert_true, assert_false, \
     assert_equal
 
diff --git a/nibabel/tests/test_viewers.py b/nibabel/tests/test_viewers.py
index 75d261cc02..68710b3126 100644
--- a/nibabel/tests/test_viewers.py
+++ b/nibabel/tests/test_viewers.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 from ..optpkg import optional_package
 from ..viewers import OrthoSlicer3D
 
-from numpy.testing.decorators import skipif
+from ..testing import skipif
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal, assert_equal
 
 from nose.tools import assert_raises, assert_true