Straight Up Magazine - Winter 2021

STRAIGHT UP THE MAGAZINE OF THE BUILDING OFFICIALS INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND

Winter 2021

Message from the President Building Performance Updates Spotlight on a Member - Min Kim Upskilling and Training Focus

THE

WINTER ISSUE

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straight up | WINTER 2021

STRAIGHT UP THE MAGAZINE OF THE BUILDING OFFICIALS INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND

Our contributors

IN THIS ISSUE

Board President: Peter Laurenson

Message from the President

Vice Pesident Wayne Goodfellow

What’s On at BOINZ

Board Members Karel Boakes Jeff Fahrensohn Cory Lang Phil Saunders Daniel Scheibmair

Southern Building Controls Group & the Training Academy

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Accredited Building Surveyors - Upcoming Event & Courses

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Spotlight on a Member - Min Kim

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MBIE Building Performance News & Updates

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Finance Manager Deloitte Private

Standards NZ - Standards in your Pocket

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Marketing Manager Katie Page

Future Skills - BCA Visits

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HERA’s Seismic Research Programme

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Allco - Bentonite Waterproofing

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Executive Assistant Vivian Menard

Mental Health - Make Sleep your Best Friend

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Advertising/Editorial Contractors Advertising/Editorial Please contact the Building Offcials Institute's National Office via office@boinz.org.nz

Project Management Institute of NZ

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Worksafe - Leadership Check-in

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Design & Print no9.co.nz

MBIE Building Performance - LBP Scheme

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ISSN 1175-9739 (print)

Future Skills - First Graduates of NZ Certificate in BRE

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BOINZ Word Scramble

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Administration: Chief Executive Nick Hill

Training Operations Manager Jacqui Neilson National Accreditation Division Nicola Hakes HR Division Manager Michelle Te Ohaere

ISSN 2230-2654 (online)

Building Officials Institute of New Zealand PO Box 11424 Manners Street, Wellington Level 12, Grand Annexe 84 Boulcott St, Wellington Phone (04) 473 6002

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Your Board:

Peter Laurenson

President

Wayne Goodfellow

Vice President

Karel Boakes

Jeff Fahrensohn

Cory Lang

Phil Saunders

Daniel Scheibmair

Nick Hill Chief Executive

The information contained within this publication is of a general nature only. Building Officials Institute of New Zealand does not accept any responsibility or liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary or punitive damage or for any loss of profit, income or any intangible losses, or any claims, costs expenses, or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), equity or otherwise arising directly or indirectly from, or connected with, your use of this publication or your reliance on information contained within this publication. The Building Officials Institute of New Zealand reserves the right to reject or accept any article or advertisement submitted for publication.

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Peter Laurenson BOINZ Board President

As I write this article my mind first went into thinking about how busy we all are, the challenges we are facing with legislative reform, resource and skills shortages, workloads, new technologies, and the likes, all of which I will come to later in this article. However firstly I want to talk about a “good bastard” with some relevance to us all.

I was humbled and privileged a couple of weeks back to visit a good mate, colleague, and staunch BOINZ member only a few days before he died of ill health. That “good bastard” was Barry Holsted down in Invercargill, and everything else paled into insignificance when I was able to chat to him for an hour or so about what he had achieved in life for his family and the communities he had lived in, and for all of you people as BOINZ members that he served in many ways and roles.

Many of you will remember reading an article published about Barry in Straight Up last year. It talked about his time working in Auckland and then Southland, the numerous charitable fundraising activities he has done (ironically for Cancer treatment), and the passion to just get involved and make a difference.

Barry’s funeral was a large affair with many colleagues in attendance.

We are grateful to Past President Stu Geddes for attending on the institutes behalf and speaking

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about Barry at the service. One thing that really stood out was the fact that the photo on the front of Barry’ funeral service booklet was a picture of him receiving his Diploma in Building Surveying. It meant that much to him and his family that it took pride of place.

It makes me feel really worthwhile to have had a small hand in helping shape the Diploma and get it embedded into the regulatory system over recent years. Many of you colleagues also had the same helping hand to work on the qualifications in a range of ways, and the glue which is our Institute held that all together for our benefit to enable us to be recognised as professional people.

To see Barry, and his family value that qualification so highly truly is rewarding. So what we all need to do is to continue to raise the bar for our profession, do more to help other people first before we help ourselves and the rewards will flow back to us.

So now to get into the work related future ahead of us. What a time to be in the construction sector! I cannot think of a time in my working history that has equalled or bettered the level of construction activity we are now experiencing. Consenting volumes are at an all- time high, the demand for qualified staff is the first topic raised by whoever I speak to, and the demand pressures on our time is increasing.

When one looks back at the last ten years and the changes to population and consenting volumes, the ability to put the current pressures into perspective becomes a little easier.

Our population increased 16.7% from March 2011 to an estimated 5,116,300, a massive 733,800 increase. This, in part, had a direct

impact on new dwelling consents, although we know there are also other reasons for the dramatic lift from 14,611 new home consents in March 2011 to 41,028 in March 2021.

With demand for housing at an alltime high, supply and affordability concerns are the biggest news items we now see on a weekly basis.

With unprecedented housing demand, comes a range of associated compliance, conformance, and quality issues. Issues that ultimately have a propensity to impact positively or negatively on the expectations of owners. Our members working in the Accredited Building Surveyor field are flat out providing high quality information to a myriad of building owners and prospective purchasers, and when things are so busy the quality and reliability of our professional judgement is paramount.

One thing we have learnt from the tragic impact of the leaky home experience is that building issues manifest over time and are not necessarily easily identifiable at times of inspection during the build process, or by the owner over early years of occupation. Building issues occur for many reasons, and most of you will have seen your fair share of problems and concerns. I am not going to delve into the why’s, other than to say for many reasons our design and build systems could be improved if we just levelled the playing field in a number of areas.

Levelling the playing field is now more important than ever, given the high demand curve for new builds. But it becomes even more important if one then overlays this significant peak of activity with emerging concerns such as supply chain shortages, skill shortages, product quality, and environmental expectation issues. Suddenly our sector has just become increasingly more complex and difficult to manage. Without being alarmist, this is our new reality.

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Photo: The Late Barry Holsteds funeral service booklet.

One cannot deny the legitimacy of collective thinking around the need to be more productive and environmentally responsive. These are positive aspirations and areas we, as part of the industry collective, must help to address. Similarly, the need to address both product assurance and skill availability should be part of our building DNA. Build quality outcomes should be the mainstay for everyone working in and supplying the built environment.

Collective responsibility should be what we provide, relevant to the role we undertake. The liability settings in New Zealand desperately need a solid revamp, and your institute is pushing for that to occur- I’ll mention that some more below.

Most high performing sectors look to the long game in respect of quality outcomes. Traditionally construction hasn’t been helped in this respect by the boom-bust cycles experienced over the last 50 or so years. The nature of the built environment is that the structures and processes that could, or should have delivered a level playing field, have been absent in so many areas for too long. History would tell us there are many reasons, more often reported on as individual failings, but rarely have we seen the muchneeded result of an industry wide solution with real reach.

Are we getting close to seeing changes we need? Possibly.

In May our Chief Executive and I met formally with the Minister of Building and Construction Hon

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Poto Williams. The meeting was positive and engaging with the Minister sharing and seeking views in respect of the sectors concerns and accordingly interested in our positions given we as a group are independent without any slanted or self-serving agenda. Both of us were impressed with the genuine and welcoming approach we were given. It really provides a great future opportunity for the Institute to be successful in our advocacy.

We thrilled that the Minister has agreed to be our guest speaker at our Conference Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony in August.

Most industry pundits want change and improvement, but the system is complex, and the players numerous.

Hence the need for level playing fields in critical areas across the built spectrum. Getting the inputs right is critical. As someone once said, “If you get the inputs rights, the outputs will take care of themselves”.

Of course, no one wants over regulation, but in a sector where the productivity and quality is well below expectations, we do need regulatory assistance, particularly in the occupational regulation, skills and product areas. It’s about the inputs; the certainty and consistency.

In the skills area, the initiative to provide the time limited fees free Targeted Training Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) is likely to have significantly positive outcomes.

BCITO has reported record

apprenticeships to the end of 2020.

Although “borne out of COVID”, this TTAF initiative has been incredibly well received and many hope this programme will assist the triggering of a requirement to make qualifications for LBP’s and Restricted Building Work mandatory, thereby levelling the playing field in terms of skills requirements to work in the sector, changing construction culture and delivering better built outcomes.

Similarly, the need for consistent product information requirements and in some cases mandatory independent 3rd party certification for a select range of critical products in the areas of structure, envelope, fire, and health would produce significant efficiencies and improved build outcomes. This levelling of the playing field in both information and certification requirements puts rigor into our building design and construct areas and importantly delivers certainty, durability and avoids the costly cycle of reworks and rebuilds that so often impact financially on unsuspecting consumers when non- conforming and non-compliant product is used.

One of the things which we spoke to the Minister about was the need for some form of “National Product Register” going further than the upcoming product regulation changes are proposing. We stressed the benefits for consumers, suppliers and designers in that form of system, giving more certainty in the early design phase, well before it hits our hands as Building Surveyors.

We really believe the Minister could see the value we are wanting to add to the industry.

The recent LBP consultation released by MBIE will have collected much needed information from the market and will set a pathway for improving the rigor of the LBP model. BOINZ as well as the Construction Industry Council (CIC) have advocated for mandatory qualifications as a condition of entry.

Levelling the entry to our playing field is the surest way to improve 5

skills, build quality outcomes and cost efficiencies.

I have used qualifications/skills and products as two areas to be advantaged by regulatory levelling of a playing field. There are others.

If you support our approach let us know your thoughts.

And finally I would like to finish up this article by acknowledging the huge amount of work and effort being undertaken by my fellow board members, our CEO, and the national office team in a period of time which really is the most

volatile and challenging I can think of. Pulling together the information which is shared with us all, the huge amount of work that has gone into many regulatory submissions in recent months and weeks, record attendances at training events delivery for us around the country, producing and getting ready to deliver another fabulous National Conference in August, all of those things are no mean feat and we are thankful for your efforts.

future direction opportunities which we look forward to sharing out for discussion across the membership in coming months, and I look forward to sharing a number of those initiatives with you coming up at Conference, and through our other communications as well.

Stay well everyone !!

Peter Laurenson President

We had a fantastic strategic board meeting earlier on in June during which we have mapped out some

WHAT'S ON @ BOINZ

Training Academy Calendar September - November 2021 September

27 Sep - 28 Sep TA017 Services and Facilities

Dunedin

29 September

Dunedin

TA015 Clause D1 Access Routes/ TA016 Clause F1 Safety of Users

October

5 October

ADV027 As Near As Reasonably Practicable (ANARP)

Palmerston North

5 Oct - 6 Oct

TA009 NZS 4229 Concrete Masonry Building not Requiring Specific Engineering Design

Dunedin

28 Oct - 29

TA012 H1 Energy Efficiency

Dunedin November

4 Nov - 5 Nov

TA014 B2 Durability

CAREER GROWTH. ONLINE. www.boinz.org.nz

Queenstown The BOINZ Online Training Academy is live and features accessible courses making your career development easy.

Courses available: -Restricting Access to Residential Pools -Complying with the Building Code

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UPCOMING BRANCH MEETINGS

The Building Officials Institute

Canterbury/Westland Branch 21st September 19th October

presents

Waikato/Bay of Plenty 3rd September Auckland Branch 28th July 25th August 22nd September Southern Branch 30th July 3rd September

SBCO FORUM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EMERGING LEADERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO

Nelson/Marlborough Branch 18th August 20th October Central Branch 1st September Wellington Branch 28th July 27th October

16 - 18 AUGUST 2021 SKY STADIUM, WELLINGTON

REGISTER HERE NOW

Check with your Branch Chair if your branch is not featured above.

*Subject to change; Branch meeting notices will be sent out closer to the time of the event with further details

To see more information on future

If you have a business or service you would like to promote, book a space in our classifieds section.

Advertise your business card

Branch Meetings, please check the

(55mm x 90mm) for $85.00 + GST.

BOINZ website here

Get your business into a future issue of Straight Up.

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TRAINING ACADEMY SOUTHERN BUILDING CONTROLS GROUP & THE TRAINING ACADEMY “Coming Together; collaboration, Communication and Community” is the theme of this years conference and the Training Academy has been living these ideals in 2021 by taking a collaborative approach to training and partnering with Council cluster groups to establish combined training plans for their regions.

This kicked off in January with the Southern Building Controls Group (SBCG). The group comprises of 11 BCA’s from Timaru to Invercargill and for some time, they had been working on a combined training plan to meet their requirements.

The beginning of the year saw an increased level of commitment around their need to work better and more effectively. The group collated all their training needs on one spreadsheet which provided, for the first time, visibility of what their actual training requirements looked like across the collective.

This included who was involved and approximate numbers for each training type.

Jayson Ellis, Building Control Manager at Timaru District Council, and Jacqui Neilson, newly appointed Professional

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Development Manager at BOINZ, then started working together through a process of confirming the key requirements of the group, ensuring the commitment from members to attend trainings, in areas that worked for them and the confirmation that these training events would proceed.

“Any collaborative work between BCA’s requires a lot of time and patience and this project is no exception to that” says Jayson.

“We have been working on this for about 18 months to 2 years.

When Jacqui Neilson joined the team at BOINZ, her knowledge, experience and enthusiasm in the training area meant we were able to confirm our training plan and implement this within a couple of months. All of this has meant that we now have a training plan locked in the rest of the year which means that courses, trainers, venues are all confirmed, attendees just need to book themselves in. This has meant for me, at Timaru, being able register all the staff we identified that required training with BOINZ for the whole year, including accommodation and travel. There’s no longer an add hock approach to training in our

region. This can be achieved!

It just requires a good plan and commitment from all parties involved”.

Jacqui has started reaching out to other Councils in order to achieve similar results for their areas. “Waikato and Central have received their spreadsheets and both areas have provided a good indication of their needs which is enabling me to build training schedules for their regions” says Jacqui. “The plan is to build on this together. I have had several meet and greets throughout the North Island to hear what’s working and not working in relation to training. It’s a complex area to change quickly and we are prioritizing according to need, which includes updating our training materials and flexing and changing the way we deliver courses. As a membership driven not for profit we are here to support and the best way for us to achieve results is by coming together and collaborating as communities”.

Article by Jayson Ellis, Building Control Manager, Timaru District Council and Jacqui Neilson, Professional Development Manager, BOINZ.

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gib.co.nz Your information hub.

A comprehensive range of system manuals.

Supporting documents, best practice advice and archived literature.

Video tutorials and learning resources.

For any specific queries call the GIB® Helpline 0800 100 442.

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Accredited Building Surveyor Annual Networking & Training Event Copthorne Hotel Wellington 100 Oriental Parade, Wellington

Saturday 24th – Sunday 25th July 2021 Who should attend? o Residential Pre‐Purchase Inspectors o Qualified & experienced building practitioners wishing to enter the field of property inspections & reporting Saturday 24th July Networking Event Sponsored by Crombie Lockwood 5:30pm – 7:30pm $89 plus GST Networking and Training Event 24th and Sunday 25th July 9:00am – 5:00pm BOINZ and Accredited Members $399 plus GST Non members & Pending ABS $449 plus GST For more information email or phone Nicola Hakes ‐ 04 473 6001 or accreditation@boinz.org.nz

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ProgramSunday 25th July Sarah Symon Realsure

Valuing your Service

Kieran Cormack Crombie Lockwood

Insurance for pre‐ Purchase Inspectors

Ravi Sanyal Techmatics NZ

Why use Robots for Crawlspace Inspections

Eion Scott New Zealand Green Building Council

Aim for NZGBC or aim to overshoot?

Rob Newbold Blue Scope Steel

Gutter Capacity and Material Compatibility

Rob Gregor NZ Moisture Meters

Measure accurately and Efficiently

Tony Conder BOINZ Honorary Technical Manager

Weathertightness and the Accredited Building Surveyor

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Register today to become an Accredited Building Surveyor.

ACCREDITED BUILDING SURVEYORS 2021 Course Dates: 22 - 24 July 24 - 26 Sept 19 - 21 Nov Location: Wellington accreditation@boinz.org.nz for more information

Thoughts from a BOINZ Accredited Building Surveyor: “Kia ora, My name is Ryan Stowers, and I have been actively involved in the Building Surveyor profession for over 5+ years, with the majority of that time spent in an Auckland Council Building Surveyor role. I didn’t come from a building background, but worked my way through, gaining the Diploma in Building Surveying (Small Buildings), graduating in March 2018. I chose to attend the Accredited Building Surveyor Training Programme out of pure curiosity not knowing what I don’t know, seeking to further my knowledge in the profession, and how to be a skilled practitioner who can operate in the wider property inspections environment effectively. The course facilitators were very informative in delivering the course, and made the learning environment one that made it easy to ask the questions and get clear, concise answers that helped me understand how to perceive certain situations, and what not to do.

As I am working through getting my accreditation, I plan on developing further skills and expertise and furthering my interest in specialist reporting, whilst being able to deliver high quality reports for clients who are purchasing their first home or wanting to make an informative decision on a property they wish to acquire.

Nga mihi Ryan Stowers LMBOINZ”

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SPOTLIGHT ON A MEMBER

Min Kim

Min is the Building Control Team Leader at the Grey District Council and a member of the Canterbury/Westland Branch. We have put the spotlight on Min and asked him some questions around his career journey so far.

How long have you been working in Building Control?

5 years in Building Control (Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, Opotiki and Grey) and 4 years as an Architectural Designer (Auckland and Christchurch). It is great to have experiences in both.

Architecture (5 years) from Victoria University, I worked for a few years as an architectural designer and joined the council to understand another side of the industry. I worked as a BCO for Tauranga City Council, a dual SBCO for Western Bay of Plenty District Council/ Opotiki District Council and am Tell us about your pathway into currently the Building Control the industry?

Team Leader for Grey District After completing a Bachelor of Council.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Helping get the Grey District Council BCOs competency levels up in just a few months. One of the BCO’s has jumped two levels up for both processing and inspecting.

It was a great team effort, and I am very proud of my team. We have a full IANZ audit in August 2021 and I am enjoying this challenging moment.

Challenge means opportunity.

What are the biggest changes you have seen in the industry throughout your career?

The COVID pandemic, having an option to work from home. We need better monitoring systems for those who work from home.

What is your favourite thing about the Grey District/Region and what do you do outside of work?

Everything is simple. I love spending time with my wife and Blue (Bordercollie). I also like to illustrate and paint.

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What made you want to move all the way from Tauranga to Greymouth?

Change in scenery, challenge and opportunity. I would like to thank my wife for following and trusting in my decisions.

each executive team and I highly questions, life is all about learning recommend members to get more new things, have pride in your job involved in the BOINZ board. and let’s make the NZ building industry better for our next Tell us your thoughts on the generations! value of sending your staff on our training courses?

Training is a crucial part of our job.

How did you find being a Branch I encourage all my staff to attend Executive with the Waikato/Bay any future training opportunities. of Plenty Branch and now being I wish BOINZ could provide more a member of the Canterbury/ free webinars for members as Westland branch? Have you often councils only have limited enjoyed the experience of being in budgets for training their staff. multiple branches?

I have and still am enjoying What advice would you give to working with various branches and someone just starting their career meeting different executives and in Building Control? chairs. I have learnt so much from Nobody is perfect, keep asking

Photos: Previous page; Min Kim outside the Grey District Council, Above; Min Kim, Left; Grey District Council spending time together.

KNOW SOMEONE WHO DESERVES THE SPOTLIGHT? If you’re interested in talking to us for future issues or you know of someone who is doing great work within the industry and deserves to have the spotlight on them, please email marketing@boinz.org.nz

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MBIE BUILDING PERFORMANCE CHANGES PROPOSED WILL STRENGTHEN AND CLARIFY RETENTIONS SCHEME FOR SUBCONTRACTORS The Government has introduced the Construction Contracts (Retention Money) Bill which proposes changes to retention provisions in the Construction Contracts Act 2002 (CCA) to provide greater transparency and give more confidence to subcontractors. This will lead to a more stable building and construction sector, which currently employs over 250,000 New Zealanders.

The changes include: - removing the ability to comingle retention money with other money and assets; - removing the use of liquid assets as a way to hold retention money; - requiring that retention money held as cash must be held separately in a bank account with prescribed ledger accounts; - introducing regular reporting requirements which include information about the retention money, including the amount and bank information; - making it easier for subcontractors to access retention money without a court order in the

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event of insolvency; and - introducing offences and penalties for those who fail to comply with the retentions regime or providing false information.

A recent review of the retentions provisions highlighted that while the scheme was working well overall, there was an opportunity for more to be done to strengthen and clarify the provisions.

For those wanting to have their say on the proposed changes, the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee has asked for public submissions on the Bill.

The closing date for submissions is Friday, 23 July 2021.

More details on the Bill are available on Parliament.nz Have your say on the Construction Contracts (Retention Money) Amendment Bill

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MBIE BUILDING PERFORMANCE FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS STANDARDS RECEIVE AN UPDATE A number of standards on fire safety systems are in the process of being updated. This includes: • NZS 4541:2020 Automatic fire sprinkler systems (published in 2020) • NZS 4512 Fire detection and alarm systems in buildings (published May 2021) • NZS 4514 Interconnected smoke alarms for houses (published May 2021) • NZS 4510 Building hydrants (currently in development, will be published at a future date).

These standards are some of the ones that the Building Performance team at MBIE sponsors, which means all are accessible for free to everyone.

For now, the older versions of the standards will continue to be referenced in the Building

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Code acceptable solutions and verification methods documents for Protection from Fire: C/AS1, C/AS2 and C/VM2. In a future Building Code update, MBIE will consult on updating the Acceptable Solutions (C/AS1, C/AS2) and Verification Method (C/VM2) to include the new versions of these standards.

The updated version of NZS 4541:2020 Automatic fire sprinkler systems is available now as part of this pilot.

People should continue using the standards cited in AS/VMs for compliance with the respective document. If you choose to use the new versions of the standards, you will need to go down the alternative solution path.

To find out more about Building Performances digital reader pilot, please go to building.govt.nz

To find out more about SNZ’s digital reader pilot, please go to standards. govt.nz - and check out the article on the next page.

MBIE’s Building Performance and Standards New Zealand (SNZ) are both piloting a digital reader tool which allows Building Code documents and Standards to be accessed through any web-enabled device.

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STANDARDS NZ STANDARDS IN YOUR POCKET – JOIN OUR TRIAL We understand the way documents are read, used, and shared is changing and consumers now want information in portable, dynamic, feature-rich digital formats. Standards New Zealand has been exploring digital options for making our standards more accessible to our users and are launching a six-month trial of our new digital reader.

The pilot will run until September 2021 and help us shape the future of how standards are consumed. A digital reader will allow users to carry standards in their pocket, no matter where they are and no matter how large or complicated the standard might be. Standards can be accessed on any web-enabled device, including smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.

We have just launched a ground-breaking new project that will transform the way standards are read, used and shared through our digital reader pilot, powered by tekReader, supporting our ‘digital first’ development track.

Why digital?

There are more smartphones than people in New Zealand and carrier data shows that almost all of us connect to the internet on mobile. Getting standards into formats that are phone and tablet friendly is essential to improving use and engagement – and it will result in better outcomes across the board.

The workforce is changing and even digital immigrants (those born before 1985) have come to expect to find what they need online, in formats that work regardless of device or platform.

Our digital reader pilot – which introduces standards as a service - is a first, important step by Standards New Zealand toward meeting that demand. The future is digital, the future is here.

Want to join us in the trial? Find out more information here: https://www.standards.govt.nz/about/digitalinnovation-and-value-add/digital-reader-pilot/

With special features that allow users to take notes inside the standards, enlarge and scroll through complex diagrams with a single click, search for anything inside the document, and tables that are shaped to fit your screen, the digital reader experience is vastly superior to parsing a print or PDF version, regardless of the device being used.

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Your building could be put to the ultimate test.

So we do the same to our steel.

At Pacific Steel, we put all our products through a rigorous testing regime. Our dedicated laboratory has full IANZ certification and we’re the only local manufacturer of reinforcing steel to have third party ACRS certification. So when we say our SEISMIC® reinforcing steel is tested to meet the AS/NZS 4671 standard, you can be sure it’s been put to the ultimate test.

A steel bar about to be tested in one of five testing machines at our laboratory in Otahuhu.

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PAC0015CCT

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FUTURE SKILLS NZ CERTIFICATE IN BUILDING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT (IN EMPLOYMENT): AUCKLAND ACADEMIC HAILS TOUR OF BUILDING CONSENT AUTHORITIES A SUCCESS Photo: Visiting Building Consent Authorities around the country has proved golden for Alexander Ewing.

The Future Skills Academy Academic Manager (Regulatory Compliance), Alexander Ewing, has returned from his trip armed with valuable insights- and flakes of gold.

Alexander visited BCAs in Canterbury, Wellington, Queenstown, Invercargill and Central Otago to promote a forthcoming building regulatory environment course and introduce a degree qualification in the pipeline.

During the whirlwind tour, he gleaned vital feedback from Building Consent Authority (BCA) managers on the NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment (In employment) programme and the proposed Bachelor of Building Surveying.

The avid mineralogist also relished the chance to pan for gold in Arrowtown, near Queenstown, before his flight home to Auckland.

“It was amazing, something I haven’t done for years,” says Alexander, 46, who used to mine as a high school student growing up in Scotland.

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“It’s very peaceful watching the sun come up and the town just starting to come to life.”

It took several hours in cold weather with sandflies biting to find a few flakes in the gold-bearing Arrow River.

But it was worth every minute says Alexander, who holds a Master of Materials Technology.

“You can’t beat the feeling when you notice some gold in the pan.

You are taken away.”

During his leisure time, Alexander practices lapidary, a hobby he picked up from high school in the United Kingdom, working with raw rocks and minerals.

His mining expedition brought to fruition a tour of 13 council BCA’s aimed at raising awareness of the NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment (BRE) Level 4 programme and making key connections with BCA managers.

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“It was a definite success,” says Alexander. “I think it was an excellent exercise in building rapport.”

Travelling around Queenstown was a delight.

“It was hard driving as the roads were small and the scenery took my breath away at some spots,” he says.

“Queenstown had the friendliest BCAs I visited. I got offered my first cup of tea during the visit there.”

He addressed managers’ academic concerns and discovered what they liked about the Building Surveying diploma and BRE programme.

The BRE course provides students with the skills to support compliance within the regulatory framework and interact with key stakeholders in supporting building operations.

Those working within councils or a similar regulatory environment can enrol in the programme with their employers’ consent.

Alexander hopes to draw 30 students on to two new intakes in June.

The course is currently free for students courtesy of Government funding from the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund.

Alexander says he learned BCA’s were extremely busy and trying to free up their employees for study was difficult. Unfortunately, some students had to withdraw due to combined work and study commitments.

Some councils had difficulties completing work hours especially in

year two in respect of commercial buildings: This depends a lot on each particular council and nearby opportunties, he says.

“I achieved valuable insight into the programmes, the way various BCA’s run, the problems they face, the outcomes they need and the requirements for new programmes.

“It’s a big learning curve for me.”

Generally managers reported the course was continually improving and fulfilled Regulation 18, he says.

They said communication should be more evident in the programme and preferred blended learninga mixture of online lessons and practical classes, Alexander says.

“I think most of the BCA’s would agree there’s a good mixture of blended online and practical in the classroom.”

Among managers’ concerns were assessment wordcount requirements and the time taken to mark assessments.

“We’ve changed quite a lot of the assessments so that’s been quite an assimulation process for some of the councils,” he says.

The managers praised the course’s structural size and liked how it offered so many aspects of their industry.

They also found the course was relevant in respect of building consent officers daily functions.

students from when the programme first started, he says.

The lecturers have a great wealth of experiential knowledge and students also learned a lot from interacting with other building officers, councils said.

Most councils were in favour of the proposed development of the Bachelor of Building Surveying degree. “Building Surveyors are often not treated as well as some of the other building professions, despite their breadth of knowledge, and they see this as a way to improve on their professional recognition status.

“Aligning with a professional body to give it that extra credence which in turn helps students have greater recognition and manager confidence is part of the pathway.”

The degree is currently in the planning stages, would follow on from the two-year programme, the NZ Diploma in Building Surveying (In employment), he says.

To find out more about upcoming cohorts in your region, contact Marketing and Student Recruitment Manager Kavi Sewdayal at kavi@futureskills.co.nz or phone 027 232 4483

They also noted improvements to information conveyance and contact with both managers and

Kavi Sewdayal, Marketing and Student Recruitment Manager, Future Skills.

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HERA EARTHQUAKE SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN STEEL CONSTRUCTION: HERA’S SEISMIC RESEARCH PROGRAMME New Zealand’s major natural challenge is the provision of earthquake-safe construction. Steel with its inherent strength, ductility, weight and environmental credentials is the material of choice especially when it comes to high rise and long-span construction such as in steel-frame buildings and bridges.

Steel structures performed exceptionally well in the Christchurch earthquake. Some minor damage was reported mainly due to overlooked shortcomings in detailing and execution. The earthquake confirmed that steel is the ultimate low-damage solution for modern multistorey buildings and structures and that the applicable New Zealand design and fabrication standards are safe.

The resilience of steel structures is based on more than century-long research and testing of steel components and connections, the existence of well-established design and assessment tools, quantifiable in-service field data, ongoing research and innovation in the area.

In the late 1990s, Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA) directed a 6-year long research program to evaluate the performance of steel connections under earthquake loads in New Zealand.

The program has investigated both economic and technical aspects of connections to make them safer and cost-effective to design and construct. The outcomes were incorporated in HERA Steel Connection Guide, NZS 3404, AS/NZS 1554.1 and other relevant standards. It has added a degree of resilience to our steel design procedure required to sustain the seismic

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event without noticeable damage.

While the technical performance remains a key steel construction research focus both nationally and internationally, recent local efforts included an increased emphasis on cost-effective delivery of the technical solutions to increase competitiveness if compared to alternative solutions.

HERA continues to innovate in the field of seismic research exploring ways of improving productivity in steel construction. It involves understanding the manufacturing-related bottlenecks and applying the advanced FEA-based design procedures to resolve them by simplifying connection and seismic weld details. The current seismic research programme involves cooperation between HERA, University of Auckland and University of Canterbury, Auckland University of Technology, University of Michigan, USA and other international partners.

The current research focuses on optimising the selection of steel for the seismic service enamelling the use of a range of alternative steels and optimising weld details for steel moment-resisting frames (MRF) and eccentrically braced frames (EBF) connections.

The optimised seismic weld details will facilitate such as fillet welds will facilitate more efficient fabrication and the use of automated and robotic technologies in fabrication.

The GM of HERA’s Fab 4.0 / NZWC division, Michail Karpenko, has this to say: “HERA’s seismic research programme has been

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initiated to address the challenges around smart design also known as design 4.0, safety and resilience of steel structures and productivity aspects in steel construction.

It is a result of long-standing cooperation between HERA and national and international research partners who developed a computational method to analyse the behaviour of welds under complex loading conditions. The novelty of this programme is in the further development of these methods to address seismic applications. Our approach is that no research output is useful unless it is implemented. Our goal is to integrate the research outcomes into the framework of standards and HERA guidelines for the industry. This will be supported by the robust industry training programme for design engineers and fabricators”.

H&H Steel Construction, Grayson Engineering and John Johns Steel.

The research is performed under the supervision of our leading seismic research experts Prof. Dr Charles Clifton, Prof. Gregory MacRae, Prof. James Lim. But we are also proud to be internationally linked in this research with leading fracture mechanics experts Prof Pingsha Dong, USA and Prof. Adolf Hobbacher, Germany.

The key outcomes of these projects have been published in more than 12 publications and HERA reports. The research will be used to update the steel structures design standard NZS 3404.

Article by Dr Michail Karpenko, The HERA Foundation supported New Zealand seismic Fabrication 4.0 GM, HERA research since its inception through numerous grants.

One of its most recent PhD scholarship recipients is Hafez Taheri, who underscores the benefits the HERA Foundation funding brings. The foundation has allocated two more scholarships to this important project. The project has been supported by HERA member companies

HERA Foundation scholarship recipient Hafez Taheri (left) explains the University of Auckland test Rigg to the D&H Steel team.

Start Saving Today!

1. Search BOINZ in the App Store or Google Play 2. Install the App to your Cellphone 3. Register with your membership details including your membership number START SHOPPING straight up | AUTUMN 2021

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ALLCO WATERPROOFING UNDERSTANDING BENTONITE WATERPROOFING AND HOW IT RESPONDS TO WET/DRY EXPOSURE There are several bentonite-based membranes currently available in the NZ market - pre-hydrated, crushed powder and granular bentonite, and some are more suited to certain applications and weather restrictions than others. Perhaps no other aspect of bentonite waterproofing is as misunderstood as how it responds to wet/dry cycling.

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One of the main characteristics of sodium bentonite is its a powerful suction force and the ability to hydrate itself even if no water is added to it. With an initial moisture content of 25%, bentonite produces a suction force of 45 bars or 650 psi. This is enough suction to draw water from even very dry soils.

Equilibrium point occurs when the sodium bentonite reaches approximately 100% moisture content.

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The CETCO Volclay waterproofing system has two different bentonite based membranes – Volclay Voltex and Swelltite – but that work in the same way. Both membranes are inert until water is introduced and are both compatible with one another and are often used combined in tanking jobs.

The Volclay Voltex membrane has granular bentonite incorporated into a geotextile fabric by a patented needle punching technology that limits hydration to 250%, at which point the membrane becomes 12mm thick with no reduction in performance. The needle punched construction of Volclay Voltex produces a mechanical bond that cannot be defeated by the swelling bentonite. In other words, the membrane can withstand unconfined hydration without losing its integrity hence why it can successfully be used even in standing water without adverse impact.

Although unconfined hydration should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for duration, exposure, and degree of hydration, Volclay Voltex can in most cases stand being submerged for days on end and still maintain its integrity once the water is removed. This makes for a very durable membrane, in any weather condition (very wet, very cold, very hot).

For more information on Allco bentonite membranes and installation details please visit Allco website or get in touch with our technical team on tech@allco. co.nz

Swelltite membrane is made up of passive and an active barriers and is ideal for tanking vertical concrete or block wall surface. Featuring exceptional flexibility for maximum conformability when fitting to a structure, it can be installed to green concrete and placed as soon as forms are removed - no need to wait for concrete to be cured.

Article by Chris Ross, Allco Product Specialist tech@allco.co.nz

Swelltite activates very quickly when in contact with water and due to its sealed terminations (vertical and horizontal) the water is kept at bay until the backfill can be placed to achieve confinement.

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straight up | AUTUMN 2021

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MENTAL HEALTH ww

MAKE SLEEP YOUR BEST FRIEND In the Autumn 2021 edition of Straight Up, we looked at the first two steps towards gaining great sleep: 1.

2.

Start preparing for a decent sleep during the daytime, and Stop lying awake – it’s futile

Now for the next two steps: 3.

Drinking to Relax Won’t Work!

Looking forward as you drive home from a busy day to sitting down and relaxing with a beer or glass of wine?

Alcohol can seem like a quick ‘fix’ or solution to stress.

It’s easy to lose the art of relaxing after dinner. If you find it dif¬ficult to switch off and concentrate on things other than work, wired to your phone or emails, or making copious mental notes for the following day…. alcohol is not the solution.

In fact, alcohol actually irritates, inflames and erodes the stomach lining pro¬ducing bloating. The stomach’s weakened protec¬tive layer takes longer to digest foods and your digestive juices don’t extract valuable nutrients efficiently from food either.

Too much alcohol can also make you feel hungry, and you may find you eat more, which eventually makes you overweight.

But it is not just the way you feel—it is what you’re doing to your body and your sleep patterns if you rely on alcohol to relax.

Here are some hard and fast rules about alcohol, food,

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and relaxation to ensure restful sleep: • Cut out alcohol in the evening • Finish eating at least three hours before bedtime • Avoid intake of heavy foods like red meat which take a long time to digest. Eat lighter, more easily digested proteins, such as fish or chick¬en, with lightly cooked vegetables and/or salad. Avoid chocolate, rich desserts, and stodgy puddings • Avoid falling asleep on the couch after dinner • Go to bed only when you’re sleepy. Take time to unwind by sitting quietly, reading a newspaper, light-weight book or magazine, or listen to calming, relaxing music.

4.

Turn Them Off!

Maybe you’re working on stuff on your laptop, surfing the internet on your phone, or watching TV late?

Seems harmless enough but sleep research shows that the glow from these de¬vices causes sleep

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Here are some basic guidelines to stop electronic devices from interfering with your precious sleep: • Turn off all electronic screens with blue light e.g. TV, laptop, smartphone, tablet about

“

“Sleep is an investment in the energy you need to be effective tomorrow.”

“

disorders—it disrupts the body’s sleep rhythms and suppresses the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland at night. It is a ‘timing mes¬senger,’ signalling night-time information throughout the body.

If you are exposed to light emitting devices at night you interrupt the sleep pattern by slowing or even halting melatonin production.

But melatonin suppression has far worse consequences than simply poor sleep.

It has also been shown to increase the risk of cancer, impair immune system function, and possibly lead to cardio-metabolic conse¬quences, such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and heart disease.

- Tom Roth one hour before you plan to fall asleep • Wind down your body and brain. Spend the last part of the evening relaxing quietly. Reduce the lighting, too, to encourage melatonin production • Do not read, watch TV, work on the laptop, or check your smart¬phone in bed. This zone of the house is for sleeping in, not living in • Don’t place any lightemitting devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop, TV) anywhere near your bedroom.

Put phone on aeroplane mode at night, if need be • Use an analogue clock (not digital or your smartphone) to stop

Article by Linda Wells, Business Stress Specialist.

Are you looking, or know someone who’s looking, for a speaker for your next seminar, association or industry meeting or conference? And want to get the leading-edge strategies on how to avoid being stressed and anxious at work so you remain on top of your game? Then contact Linda at www.outcomesunlimited. co.nz She is the author of the book ‘Transforming Your Stress Into Business Success’, available at: www.transformingyourstressintobusinesssuccess.com

clock watching Sleep is a powerful stress reducer.

Following a regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making. You are a better problem solver and are better able to cope with stress when you’re well-rested.

PMINZ PROJECT MANAGEMENT - AN OVERVIEW PMINZ – affiliation to PMI Global Project Management Institute (PMI) is the largest global membership organisation for project management Professionals in the world with over 650,000 members in 213 countries. The Project Management Institute New Zealand Chapter (PMINZ) is an autonomous chartered affiliate of PMI, has 1,250 members, and is the peak body of project management professionals in New Zealand.

NZ Construction Industry I had the privilege of talking to Phil Saunders, who is the Manager of Building Control at Otorohanga District Council, about the role building surveyors play in the building industry. Phil mentioned that the building industry in New Zealand, is increasingly becoming more specialised with contractors performing a specific task like roofers, foundation and so on. With this increase in specialisation, the need for compliance is even greater to ensure proper integration and quality. Building surveyors inspect plans and building constructions to see if buildings are, or will be, built correctly with reference to regulations. Project managers on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring that the buildings are built on schedule, of the right quality, within the allocated budget and meet all legal and compliance requirements. They do this through collaboration with others The Project management profession There are two extreme approaches for project execution. The first one is waterfall (traditional) – which comprises sequential phases requiring one to be completed before the next one can be started. The second approach is based on the Agile mindset, which comprises an incrementally iterative and consultative process aimed at creating a prototype quickly then improving on it till it is ready for consumption. In reality,

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most projects are a hybrid with physical infrastructurebased projects having a heavier lineage towards waterfall and software development projects heavily leaning towards agile.

Project management professionals are increasingly becoming proficient in both waterfall and agile based methodologies. This enables them to customise their project delivery by creating relevant teams utilising the most appropriate approach for each of the deliverables.

For instance, when building a smart building, they will need to coordinate teams that put up the physical infrastructure and those that develop the software to enable the building to be “smart”. While both teams need to collaborate for compatibility purposes, they do not have the same deliverable focus and therefore require different approaches.

The project management profession comprises different levels of seniority and responsibilities. These range from site managers who are mostly located on site for larger projects, project managers who manage either one large project or several smaller projects, programme managers who manage project managers delivering related projects and portfolio managers who decide on which projects and programmes that need to be implemented to realise strategic goals. For big scale projects, programmes and portfolios, additional

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specialist roles like coordinators, schedule and risk management professionals are employed.

Project Governance Each organisation that runs projects, no matter how large or small, needs to have a project governance structure which defines, monitors and controls the project success criteria and progress to ensure conformity and alignment to organisation goals. At a minimum, for small projects, the project governance should comprise a project manager and sponsor. The project sponsor should be senior enough to be able to authorise expenditure and make decisions on behalf of the organisation or directly escalate to the decision maker/s. In larger organisations and undertakings, project governance can be expanded to include a Project Management Office (PMO) and one or more dedicated steering committees in addition to the project manager and sponsor. There is no one size fits all and each project needs to have a clear role-defined governance structure, even if these are the same people, because each project is a unique undertaking.

Project Management Certifications PMI global offers certifications in most aspects of project management. These include Project Management Professional (PMP) which is globally recognised as a gold-standard certification for project managers. Other certifications include program, portfolio, risk, scheduling and business analysis and several agile related ones.

All these certifications are renewable every 3 years and one has to show that they have been actively improving themselves by completing the professional development hours required for each of the credential that they hold. This helps practitioners to remain current and relevant. In addition to certifications, PMI also offers tools that individuals can use to map their career development. Employers benefit by getting

reassurance that their employees are well informed and current. There are other bodies that also offer project management certification/credentials of one form or the other and it is up to an organisation to choose which of these align best with their culture.

Essential Skills PMI mentions three skill areas for successful project management. These are; process – which comprises the technical aspects, people skills – required to successfully build and lead a team, and business environment – linking projects to organisational strategy.

Membership of PMINZ Membership of PMINZ provides you with access to valuable knowledge, networks and resources. There are a number of periodic activities that are organised by branches throughout New Zealand. We have also formed alliances with several institutions and companies where services and products are available to our members at a discount.

This is the first article in a series where the several aspects of the project management profession will be explained in more depth. (May you please provide feedback on which aspects you are keen to know more about)

Kosam Nyamdela, MoP, PMP, MBusAn, MBA Strategic Planning Immediate Past President - PMINZ Kosam is a project management professional and business leader. He has taken part in and led several successful large transformation projects and programs in broadcasting engineering, telecommunications and other business forms over more than 30 years. In all his years of experience, Kosam has successfully trained, coached and mentored tradespeople, technicians, engineers, project management professionals, students and executives in technical, business and leadership skills.

Kosam is the owner and founder of Global Consultants Limited which specialises in helping organisations realise project management maturity through needs assessment and training. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kosam-nyamdela/

WORKSAFE LEADERSHIP CHECK-IN: WHERE ARE YOU AT? We’ve come a long way from the days in which injuries to our workers were an accepted cost of doing business. As leaders today, one of the most important tasks we have is ensuring that we’re looking after our people at work and making sure they can go home healthy and safe to their families.

It’s about ensuring that as a leader you have oversight and the ability to make governance decisions that support your workers, any workers contracted to you, and the business itself.

Among all the executives and Board members I meet, the majority believe their organisations to be doing a good job at this but accept there is always room for improvement.

They have a clear view on what their organisation should be doing to support their workers, but deeper conversations frequently reveal that significant issues exist. These issues are generally from gaps in

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their own knowledge of their duties and their ability to request the right information flows through their organisation. It’s the old saying; you don’t know what you don’t know.

Being a leader isn’t just about relying on your organisation’s Health and Safety Manager, Advisor or Representative to tell you what injuries are happening to staff, or about the cost to the organisation as a result, or the impact on the ACC accredited employer’s programme.

It’s up to you to demand you get the information you need to ensure you meet your responsibilities. So, what information should you be looking for? Here are some tips to start ensuring your ducks are in a row.

Read the Health and Safety at Work Act and take a highlighter to it.

Seriously. You may have had some training on it, but unless you’ve read it from the perspective of your responsibility as a leader, are you

really clear on what is expected of you as a leader and as an officer under the legislation? If you’re honest, you’ll likely say no. Take a section and break it down into a list of actions and work through them.

Know your upstream duties. If your organisation contracts work to be done on your behalf, what reporting do you see? You have a responsibility to anyone that works for your organisation, and that includes those contracted to you, and anyone they sub-contract to them for the work. Does that sub-contractor even know they are working for you? When you are looking at your next Board or Executive reports, ask yourself, where is the proactive reporting on what is happening with contractors, sub-contractors and to those contracted workers as well as your own? A contractor’s critical risks could be quite different to your own, but you still have a duty to

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those workers, so make sure you’re informed about all the risks being managed that you carry as an upstream officer.

Request that the reports you receive as a Board or Executive team tell you the full story. These reports can assist you to understand how your contractors are performing in the health and safety space, and get clarity on what your organisation is doing to support them. These reports should contain both lead and lag indicators, rather than just harm statistics after the fact. You should have enough information to be able to monitor and question what is being done about a particular risk and expect the next report to provide updates on the outcomes.

Engage with your workers. This is an essential part of being a good leader. How are you connecting with workers? What structure or framework do you have in place that enables workers to have a voice? How do you hear what they are really saying and not just the incidents they are reporting? When did you last take a walk in their shoes, or alongside them to see how things are happening? Does ‘work as imagined’ actually align with ‘work as delivered’? It’s your job to know.

Check back in a couple of months and ask yourself, what have you done to make change, and is it working? Explore the change are you seeing and question whether the information you’re getting supports you to be informed, able to govern, and tell the real story. Then get cracking on the next items on your list of leadership things to do.

Leadership is about people, so make your job about looking after them.

Article by Suzanne Watt, Engagement Lead at WorkSafe New Zealand

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MBIE BUILDING PERFORMANCE STRENGTHENING THE LICENSED BUILDING PRACTITIONERS SCHEME The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has announced changes to the Licensed Buildings Practitioners (LBP) scheme to improve accountability, efficiency and fairness.

“We are strengthening our occupational regulation of Licensed Building Practitioners so that New Zealanders can remain confident in LBPs and their work,” said Amy Moorhead, MBIE’s Building Policy Manager.

The Government has agreed to strengthen the LBP scheme to introduce a code of ethics, improve the structure of the complaints and discipline model to introduce independent investigators, and enhance the efficiency of the licensing administration process such as including a grace period for late renewals.

building system, a lift in the quality of building work, and fairer outcomes if things go wrong. Changes to the LBP scheme are part of a second phase of reforms which aim to lift the performance of building professionals and tradespeople, and hold accountable those who do not meet the standards set for them.

MBIE is currently seeking feedback from Licensed Building Practitioners and those who engage with them on 3 key elements of the LBP scheme: LBPs’ ability to supervise non-LBPs undertaking restricted building work; licensing classes; and if the minimum standards of competency remain appropriate.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will develop the code of ethics for Cabinet to consider in the coming months.

Licensed Building Practitioners will have time before the launch of the code of ethics to understand what it will mean for them.

A discussion document has been published to the MBIE website Submissions closed on 31 May 2021.

“The changes will help MBIE and the Building Practitioners Board ensure that LBPs are trained, skilled and accountable,” Amy Moorhead said.

The review of the Licensed Building Practitioners scheme is part of a series of reforms to the building laws to lift the efficiency and quality of building work in New Zealand.

The reforms will see a more efficient

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Details of the changes The following changes to the LBP scheme have been approved: • Introduce a code of ethics for LBPs to establish clear and concise behavioural requirements to manage poor ethical conduct; • Amend the following licensing processes in the Building Act to ease the administrative burden of the scheme, by: * moving the process for renewing licences from the Building Act to the LBP Rules; * allowing for the licence term to be set in the LBP Rules, and prescribing the licence term to be no longer than 5 years in the Building Act; * providing that the public register can distinguish between a licence that is not renewed by the due date and a licence that has been suspended due to disciplinary reasons, to improve clarity on the public register to support consumers to make more informed choices; * allowing licences that are not renewed in a timely manner to be subject to a grace period, in which the LBP may renew the licence, and that this period will be specified in the LBP Rules;

* making it so a licence that is cancelled or suspended for a disciplinary order will stay recorded on the public register for 3 years; and * allowing the Board to take disciplinary action against LBPs who undertake restricted building work during the grace period.

• Amend the complaints and disciplinary process in the Building Act to align with the Electricity Act 1992 to address issues around natural justice and fairness, by: * separating the investigative and adjudicative functions in the complaints and disciplinary model by using independent investigators to undertake investigations, in order to clarify and strengthen the Board’s role as an impartial decision maker; * granting the investigator powers to obtain and execute a warrant to enter land or premises for the purposes of investigating a complaint, where necessary for the investigation; * granting the investigator powers to require a person provide any document or information that may be required, where necessary for the purposes of

*

*

* *

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investigating a complaint, by written notice; allowing the Board to hold parts of meetings or hearings in private where it is appropriate due to the nature of the evidence; allowing the Board to amend an order of the Board where an administrative error has been made; allowing the Board to suspend an LBP’s licence should they fail to comply with a training order; allowing the Board to take disciplinary action against LBPs for carrying out or supervising building work without a building consent when one is required; making it an offence to not comply with a notice to supply the required document or information; and improving the triaging powers of the LBP Registrar.

MBIE media contact Email: media@mbie.govt.nz

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STRONG VERSATILE SMART www.miteknz.co.nz straight up | WINTER 2021

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FIRST GRADUATES OF NZ CERTIFICATE IN BUILDING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT Lisa Sandrey and Adele Patchett have made history at Future Skills Academy as the first graduates of the NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment.

The pair worked tirelessly for more than 12 months to complete the programme while employed

by Hurunui District Council in Amberley, North Canterbury.

Their considerable efforts included devoting many hours of spare time to their studies, says Kerry Walsh, Hurunui District Council Building and Property Manager.

“The NZQA NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment was considered a valuable tool for our building administration team members, so it was an easy decision to enrol both Adele and Lisa on it,” he says.

“Both Adele and Lisa benefitted from the qualification enormously and I feel it has helped with their day-to-day work as they are now more aware of the wider requirements and rules around the built environment.”

Adele is hitting the books again after landing a technical role as a

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building officer cadet at the Building Consent Authority.

She is studying with Future Skills Academy the Level 6 Diploma in Building Surveying, a requirement of her new position.

“With the shortage of fully qualified building officers in New Zealand, we need to start looking at customer services and administration staff for options to train as building officers,” says Kerry.

Adele used to work in early childhood education before having a family.

She opted to study at Future Skills Academy to gain a technical qualification when she became a Code of Compliance processing officer for the Building Consent Authority.

She praises the support from her tutor Pete and enjoyed the faceto-face block course at Hurunui District Council.

“The Level 4 course gave a really good coverage of the Building Regulatory Environment, particularly BCA items. It gave me a broader knowledge of the reasons why we do what we do.”

Colleague Lisa also came to Future Skills Academy from a background in early childhood education.

In 2003, the Christchurch resident studied for a nanny qualification at Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College but continued to work in retail for the next nine years as well as achieving the Level 3 NZ Retail Certificate.

Her role in the BCA’s building team involves administration tasks such as issuing Project Information Memorandums, consents and Code of Compliance Certificates.

“Future Skills Academy gave me a great understanding of how legislation affects the decisions of the technical officers when working on consents and how I can better support the team with my role,” she says.

Lisa urges people thinking of enrolling at Future Skills Academy to “just go for it.

“The tutors have been amazing and you are always supported on your learning journey.”

A highlight of the programme was meeting students from other councils during in-person sessions of the final block course: “Being able to discuss how other councils do things and bounce ideas off each other during the course was super helpful,” she says.

Outside study, she loves classic cars.

Lisa and husband Brendon own an orange 1966 Valiant Safari V8 station wagon.

The NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment (In employment) and the NZ Diploma in Building Surveying (In employment) programmes are free for students.

Learners’ fees and compulsory costs are funded by the Government’s Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund.

For more information about the programmes, go here: https://www. futureskills.co.nz/programmes/ category/5

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NO FEES UNDER TTAF

OUR SCHOOL OF CONSTRUCTION IS GROWING ENABLE YOUR BCA TECHNICAL STAFF TO BECOME QUALIFIED WHILE THEY WORK. Our in-employment delivery provides a balance between workplace, on-line and block course learning.

NO FEES:Take advantage of TTAF (Targeted Training Apprenticeship

Fund) and get your staff to complete their training by 2022.

NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch x 2, Tauranga NZ Diploma in Building Surveying L6 YR 1 Hawkes Bay, Hamilton, Queenstown NZ Diploma in Building Surveying L6 Yr2 Dunedin, Hamilton, Kapiti, Tasman

The New Zealand Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment Level 4 recognises the important roles and functions carried out by administrative support staff in the building regulatory environment.

This includes those that support technical officers in plan processing, building inspections and quality assurance within New Zealand’s network of City and District Councils.

We use Alpha as part of our teaching and learning.

The New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying Level 6 enhances the competency and productivity of your staff. This programme provides you with a professional development opportunity for your staff while meeting your Regulation 18 requirements.

Other programmes offered in 2021 include an in-class delivery of our New Zealand Diploma in Construction (Quantity Surveying) at our Auckland CBD Campus.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

CONTACT US TO START ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROGRAMMES TO BE OFFERED IN YOUR REGION:

Kavi 027 232 4483 or Gill 021 666 103 Email us at BuildReg@futureskills.co.nz straight up | AUTUMN 2021

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BOINZ WORD SCRAMBLE

Are you up for a challenge? Grab a cuppa and pencil put your feet up and solve the BOINZ Word Scramble.

Answers will be published in the July 21st Code Talk newsletter.

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Send your opinion piece, technical article or ideas for content to marketing@boinz.org.nz 36

straight up | AUTUMN 2021