Licensing Update
Issue 12 - February 2009
Welcome to the twelfth issue of the Department of Building and Housing’s Licensing Update, keeping you up to date on developments with the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme.
In this issue we cover:
We also answer some of the interesting questions you’ve been asking us over the last couple of months. Please keep them coming.
Re-licensing – what to do
This month, the Department has sent out the first letter to Licensed Building Practitioners (LBP) to help them stay licensed.
If you were one of the first to become licensed, you should have recently received a letter to check that your details are correct in the Registrar database, ensure you are still practising and advise of the annual licensing fee due. And for others who are licensed, you should get this letter before your re-licensing date falls due.
All you have to do is check the details on the form that is sent, and let us know if anything has changed. You also have the choice to tell the Registrar about any Skills Maintenance that you have undertaken in the past year.
Remember, you have 2 years to get all the points you need for your Skills Maintenance, so don’t panic if you haven’t got there yet. If you would like to gain an extra bonus point (over 2 year period) you can send in your record of skills maintenance form yearly.
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New forms and guidelines
One of the things we’ve heard a lot from people who have applied to become licensed, is that there is a lot of paperwork involved.
And we also keep hearing that the forms are sometimes a little hard to follow.
So last year we began to revise all the application forms. You can see the results with the roofing and external plastering forms.
These have been simplified, and the notes have been put together with the forms themselves, so you have a lot less paper to deal with.
Also, we’ve worked hard to make the language clear and direct. Over the next few months we’ll slowly update the Site and Design forms so they fit the same template as the roofing forms. However, if you have copies of the old forms – don’t throw them away. We will always accept them too.
We’re always keen to hear from practitioners who can think of ways to improve the processes. We can’t always promise that the changes will always be made, but we will do our best to make it clearer for you.
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New activities approved by the Register
Points earned in any of the pre-approved activities can be claimed on your ‘Record of Skills Maintenance form’ under the category ‘Activities approved by the Register’. There is no limit to the number of points you can claim under this category, so long as they have been pre-approved and are relevant to your licensing class.
To submit your points, complete the Record of Skills Maintenance form.
All prices are inclusive of GST.
Master Painters of New Zealand
Recommendation: All licensing classes
This seminar will show you how to utilise the 'Construction Contracts Act 2002' to operate a profitable business and reduce cashflow risk. It provides practical procedures from quotation to adjudication.
| Activity: |
Seminar - Construction Contracts Act and your business |
Price |
Points |
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Seminar including 'Managing Contracts Cashflow' book by Peter Degerholm. |
225.00 |
3 |
| Special offer: |
BBFNZ members |
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| To find out more: |
nationaloffice@masterpainters.co.nz
Ph: (04) 472 5870
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BRANZ
Recommendation: Recommendation: Design 1 - 3 and Site 1 - 3
There are a range of pressures on New Zealand's water resources including urban water supply competing with irrigation, the desire to have an untouched natural environment, and the expectation water be available whenever we want it. Water restrictions are likely to be tighter in the future in NZ. This seminar will provide the regulations, issues and the options/developments in water efficiency.
| Activity: |
Seminar - Water Efficiency |
Price |
Points |
| |
Seminar only |
85 |
3 |
| Special offer: |
BBFNZ members |
116.45 |
6 |
| |
Water book only |
47.95 |
3 |
| To find out more: |
www.branz.co.nz |
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Right House Limited
Recommendation: Design 1 - 2 and Site 1 - 3
Clause H1 of the NZ building code' - Case study of a real building, going step-by-step through the different compliance options, explaining the methods for demonstrating H1 NZBC compliance. You will be able to conduct Code compliance calculations for the Schedule and Calculation Method of NZS4218 and be aware of the Modelling method and the Building Performance Index calculation.
| Activity: |
Workshop - Clause H1 of the NZ Building Code |
Price |
Points |
| |
Workshop |
Free |
3 |
| To find out more: |
Auckland North - Ph Jane Sissons 09 448 5357 |
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Auckland South - Ph Karen Leach 09 265 4642 |
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Hamilton - Ph Karen Leach 09 265 4642 |
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Wellington - Ph Katy Congreve 04 382 7558 |
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www.righthouse.co.nz |
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Recommendation: Design 1 - 3 and Site 1 - 3 who attended first H1 workshop
Clause H1 of the NZ building code' - Right House is running a refresher H1 workshop to which you can bring your own projects. People from Right House and a consent official (if possible) from local council will be there to help you do calculations step-by-step and to sort out those ambiguous regulations which require the council's interpretations.
| Activity: |
Follow-up Workshop - Clause H1 of the NZ Building Code |
Price |
Points |
| |
Workshop |
Free |
3 |
| To find out more: |
Auckland North - Ph Jane Sissons 09 448 5357 |
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Auckland South - Ph Karen Leach 09 265 4642 |
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Hamilton - Ph Karen Leach 09 265 4642 |
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Wellington - Ph Katy Congreve 04 382 7558 |
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www.righthouse.co.nz |
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Mitre 10
Recommendation: All licensing classes
Mitre 10's trade magazine has a variety of consistent sections that have monthly articles provided from various industry providers.
| Activity: |
Trade magazine - M10 |
Price |
Points |
| |
M10 |
Free |
3 |
| To find out more: |
Your local Mitre 10 Branch |
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Master Painters of New Zealand
Recommendation: All licensing classes
Sales are the lifeblood of your business. This seminar will teach you how to present yourself and your business.
Brick and Blocklaying Federation of New Zealand
Recommendation: Brick and Block, External Plastering and Site 1 - 3
The newsletter showcases successes, excellence and characters in the industry, It advises practical solutions, apprenticeship information, new regulatory changes and up and coming training and seminars.
| Activity: |
Newsletter - Mortarboard |
Price |
Points |
| |
Mortarboard |
Free |
1 |
| To find out more: |
www.bbfnz.co.nz
Ph: 021 845 825
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Winstone Wallboards Ltd
Recommendation: All licensing classes
A tailored presentation to assist builders and designers with understanding the importance of appropriate design and installation of GIB Plasterboard products and systems. Content includes general installation, bracing systems, fire rated systems and noise control systems.
| Activity: |
Presentation - Installation of GIB |
Price |
Points |
| |
Plasterboard and related proprietary systems |
Free |
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Tailored presentation |
Free |
2 |
| To find out more: |
Peter Taylor petert@gib.co.nz
(09) 633 0999
027 4742 650
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To find all of the Activities approved by the Registrar go to the new ‘Skills Maintenance’ webpage.
Skills Maintenance points can also be acquired with-in the other categories of the ‘Record of skills maintenance form’. Here are some examples;
- gaining knowledge of current materials and practices
- undertaking career development and ongoing training
- development of work practices
- teaching skills to help the industry
- seminars, workshops, conferences, trade events
- inductions
- reading publications, newsletters, magazines, journals etc
- meetings regarding construction matters
- supervision of an apprentice (formal arrangement required)
- working parties for the construction industry
- site training
- researching
- conducting presentations in a professional environment.
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Questions and answers
The following are a selection of the questions that practitioners have been raising with the Department. If you have questions about the scheme that you would like answered, you can contact us on 0800 60 60 50 or info@dbh.govt.nz.
Q: I want to apply to be licensed in roofing – but I work on both liquid membrane and profiled metal roofs. Can I apply to be assessed in both areas?
A: There is only one Roofing class but you can be assessed in both areas; to do this you only need to use the one application form. However, you need to explain two jobs for each type of roofing that you do.
For example, you need two jobs that explain the liquid membrane work, and two jobs that explain the profile metal roofing. That means you need to fill out 4 job records in total.
Remember your LBP ID card and the Register will show that you are licensed in Roofing. The minimum requirement to be licensed in Roofing is one area of practice. It is up to an LBP to work within the scope of their own competence, and recognise when other skills are required.
Q: I would like to apply for 3 areas of practice for my Roofing application but there is only room for 2 areas of practice. What do I do?
A: You can photocopy the additional Job records required i.e. photocopy Additional Job 3 and Job 4 pages including the referee detail pages.
Q: Can I use the same building on my roofing application if I am applying for two areas of roofing?
A: Yes you can.
But you need to make sure you describe the roofing work you did clearly and why it was a different kind of work on the project.
Q: In the last few years I’ve mainly been working on large commercial projects, but I’ve just accepted a couple of smaller residential jobs. Can I apply for the Carpentry and Site classes even though I haven’t been doing this work a lot lately?
A: Yes you can.
Remember, when you apply you need to describe a couple of projects you have worked on. These may be recent, or they may be from a few years ago.
If you are the person running the company, and you don’t have recent examples, then you can choose some from years ago. The more recent the better.
All of these applications will be assessed on a case by case basis, so just make sure you answer the questions in the forms. The assessor may ask you for more information if they are still not sure. They may recommend a face-to-face interview with you.
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