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Licensing Update

Issue 1 - October 2006

This is the first issue of a quarterly newsletter to keep you in touch with progress on the Licensed Building Practitioner scheme.

This is an exciting time. The licensing scheme is about supporting all those skilled practitioners who have a track record of 'getting it right first time' and looking after their customers through quality work.

Licensing is a significant part of the jigsaw that will make sure that high standards are maintained in all of our buildings.

And for those who are licensed, the scheme offers a competitive marketing advantage. Your licence will be a clear and public statement of your quality and competence - never a bad thing in any line of work.

Licensing also represents a significant step towards the Government's goal of all New Zealanders having access to safer, healthier buildings that meet their present and future needs.

This is no small challenge. And it is the input and support from industry that I have already seen that will make it successful.

Thank you for your commitment and contribution to licensing so far. Simply by subscribing to this newsletter you are continuing to show that commitment.

Sincerely,

Clayton Cosgrove,
Minister for Building Issues

Please feel free to print and distribute any of the information in this newsletter, or use it in other industry publications.

Ready....Steady....

New Zealand's building practitioner licensing scheme is set to go, with strong backing and involvement from all sectors of the industry.

Licensing is for individuals, not companies. It is your opportunity to stamp a mark of quality beside your name. A public register of all licence holders will allow customers to choose the best people for their needs.

To become licensed you will first need to find out where you fit in to the scheme. There are 13 different licence classes, and they are being phased in gradually over 4 years. You can find a full list of licence classes on the Department of Building and Housing's website at www.dbh.govt.nz under Occupational Licensing.

The first phase is the opportunity for designers, site leads (mainly builders and construction managers) and carpenters to become licensed, from 1 November next year.

Licensing for other trades and specialist groups - roofing, brick and blocklaying, external plastering, concrete construction, steel construction and building services - will start from 2008.

By November 2009, a licence will be compulsory if you oversee or manage 'restricted' building work.

'Restricted work' is defined in the Building Act 2004. It includes structure and envelope work, and elements that are critical to a building's integrity and to the health and safety of its occupants. It covers the construction or alteration of all occupied buildings, including dwellings, workplaces and public buildings.

Key dates

Dates to keep in mind are:

1 November 2007 – Voluntary licensing open for designers and people who coordinate the building site (eg builders, construction managers) and carpenters
2008 - Voluntary licensing open for other trades and specialist classes
30 November 2009 – Compulsory licensing for design and building practitioners who oversee restricted building work
30 November 2011 – Trade (carpentry, roofing, brick and block laying, external plastering) and specialist licences (concrete construction, steel construction) compulsory for structure and envelope work. The building services licence will remain voluntary.

You can hold more than one class of licence if you have the relevant skills and experience.

How does it happen?

Each licence class will have its own standards. These are being finalised now by the Department of Building and Housing and the industry groups it is working with. They will then be publicised throughout the industry so you can see where you fit in to the scheme.

Applications forms and guidance will be available from mid-2007 for the Design, Site and Carpentry licence classes.

The application will ask you for details of your work history, participation in industry organisations and events, any qualifications you have achieved, and technical referees. You do not have to have any formal qualifications - your work history and references (your track record) will be the key to meeting the requirements.

Your application will be assessed by people in the industry - licensing is about real work and real skills.

The freephone Licensing Helpline on 0800 60 60 50 will help you work through the application process. This Helpline is already up and running and you can use it now to answer any queries you have about the scheme in general.

There is also plenty of useful information on the Department's website in the Occupational Licensing area at www.dbh.govt.nz

Continuing competence

Once you are licensed, you'll need to keep up with the play through some form of professional development. The requirements will be determined by the class of licence(s) you hold, but could include short courses, on-the-job training, trade sessions, conferences or formal study.

The Department of Building and Housing recently asked for feedback from a number of industry groups on how this will work in practice, and it is working with these groups now to make the requirements practical and achievable for everyone.

The Building Practitioners Board

The Building Practitioners Board has a key role in the new licensing scheme, and meets every month. The Board is made up of eight industry practitioners with a mix of skills and expertise, including design and construction, inspection services, law, dispute resolution, mediation and education and training.

Its role is to support good practice by:

approving the Licensed Building Practitioner rules and standards
hearing appeals against licensing decisions
hearing complaints against licensed building practitioners.

The Board members are:

Alan Bickers (Chairperson)

Alan is a Director of Catalyst Management Services, based in Tauranga, offering management consultation to public and private sector clients. This has included several reviews of regulatory services.

He is a Chartered Professional Engineer, an Associate of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute and a Justice of the Peace. Alan has worked for four local authorities, with his last position being chief executive of Tauranga City/District Council (1987-1995). He is the current chair of the disciplinary committee of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ).

Paul Blackler (Deputy Chairman)

Paul is currently General Manager, Construction, at Armitage Williams, a commercial construction company in Christchurch. He is a trade certified carpenter and has served on the boards of Canterbury Registered Master Builders and Site Safe New Zealand. He is a member of the CPIT Trades Innovation Institute advisory board, and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB).

Patrick Lawrence

Patrick was the Building Controls Manager for the Rotorua District Council from 1995 until his retirement in 2005. He is a trade certified carpenter and a Justice of the Peace. He has been appointed to Judicial Justice, serving on the bench of the Rotorua District Court since 2003. Patrick has held a number of public sector roles, all related to the building industry.

Jane Cuming

Jane is Building Standards Manager for Placemakers, working with their suppliers and customers on regulatory changes at a technical level. This includes co-presenting Placemakers LIFT education programme to builders and sub-trades.

Jane is a trade certified carpenter and holds a Certificate in Teaching Adults. Previous roles include education adviser for the Building Industry Authority and technical sales representative for James Hardie Building Products. She is past president and a current board member of the National Association of Women in Construction and is based on the Kapiti Coast.

Graham Moor

Graham is the Managing Director of Bay of Islands Roofing Ltd, and has grown the business from 4 to 12 staff. He has 13 years' experience in running a business. He is a registered plumber and an NZQA Registered Industry Assessor.

Graham became a member of the Roofing Association of New Zealand in 1997 and has served on their executive since 2002. He is currently chair of their Technical Committee.

Colin Orchiston

Colin is Principal of Orchiston and Associates: Architecture and Dispute Resolution. He is also an associate and managing architect of consulting firm Tse Group Ltd Wellington. He is a part-time tertiary tutor in practice and project management, and a director of the New Zealand Architects Cooperative Society.

Colin is a registered architect and holds qualifications in valuation and dispute resolution. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand, where he is on the arbitration adjudication and mediation panels.

David Clark

David is a senior partner of Auckland-based law firm Wilson McKay, undertaking a range of commercial and civil litigation work. Clients include home owners, developers, contractors and builders.

David was admitted to the bar in 1988. He is an Associate of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand and is currently serving as a Weathertight Homes Resolution Service mediator.

Other professional activities include being a Code of Conduct Commissioner for New Zealand Cricket and a faculty member of the NZ Law Society litigation skills programme. He was formerly on the executive of Te Runanga Roia O Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland Maori Lawyers Association).

David O'Connell

David is currently National Secretary, New Zealand Building Trades Union (NZBTU). He is a time-served carpenter and a Justice of the Peace.

David has 30 years experience with NZBTU, and his current board appointments include the Joinery Industry Training Organisation and Site Safe Incorporated. He is also on the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation's national advisory committee.

DIY and licensing

Some home owners have commented that the licensing scheme will stop them from doing work in the time-honoured 'Kiwi way'.

In reality, licensing will have no impact on most DIY work. DIYers will still be able to carry on doing any work that doesn't require a building consent, as well as a wide range of work that does, such as:

work on new buildings that won't be used for living or working in or for public use, such as a garage, farm building or shed
removing or installing an internal structural wall
alterations such as installing an external window or door or removing a wall.

There are excellent opportunities here for both licensed building practitioners and DIYers. If home owners sell their property, they will be able to provide proof that a licensed building practitioner has done or supervised any significant work, thus adding value to their investment. This in turn gives purchasers the peace of mind that the house they buy has been built or altered by people with the appropriate skills and knowledge.

And where will these DIYers go for the right person to supervise their work? The register of licensed building practitioners.

Find out more

Over the next year there will be many industry events where you can find out more about the Licensed Building Practitioner scheme. One way to keep yourself up with the play is to attend the functions in your area.

The list below shows the events we know about at the date of publication:

Place	Date	Event
Kumeu	13 october	ITM Building Practitioner breakfast
Kapiti	7 November	Placemakers Building Practitioner breakfast
Dunedin	17 November	Placemakers Building Practitioner breakfast
Paeroa	21 November	Hauraki District Council Building Practitioner event (5pm)
Rotorua	22 November	Carters Building Practitioner breakfast
Greymouth	29 November	Grey District Council Building Practitioner breakfast
Richmond, Nelson	30 November	Placemakers Building Practitioner breakfast

Got a question?

The Licensed Building Practitioner scheme is your scheme. We want to help you understand it. There are answers to a number of frequently asked questions on the Occupational Licensing section of the Department's website.

We'd like to know more about any queries or concerns you may have. Send us your questions. We will try to answer them in the next issue.

For more information on building practitioner licensing, visit www.dbh.govt.nzor call free on 0800 60 60 50.