Review of the Engineering Associates Act 1961

The Engineering Associates Act 1961  is an Act to provide for the registration and control of certain persons associated with or employed in engineering work, and for the encouragement of better qualification in that work.

The Act set up the Engineering Associates Registration Board (EARB)  The Board provides a means for the competency of middle tier engineers to be formally recognised through registration under the Act as a Registered Engineering Associate (REA).

The Act stipulates criteria for the Board to consider when an application for Registered Engineering Associate status is made, to ensure consistency of competency across many technical engineering disciplines.

Why Conduct a Review?

• The Act has been in force since 1961 without review (there have been five amendments in 44 years, the last being in 1996). Further technical amendments are being sought through the 2006 Statutes Amendments Bill
• The sector has changed, as has the environment in which it operates – the Act needs to be relevant to today’s engineering environment
• To bring the Act into the line with other occupational legislation (i.e. The Registered Architects Act or Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act)
• The EARB, and other stakeholders have said a review is needed because of:

a. declining membership
b. a lack of provisions for assessing continuing competency
c. monetary sums – such as fines etc – need revision.

Purpose of the Review:

The review will scope the requirements for legislation (if any) to ensure the needs of consumers and those working in engineering roles are met now and in the future.

First Phase of the Review:

The review will consider whether there is still a need for regulatory control of engineering associates. If so, what intervention is most suitable to achieve government objectives? These objectives include preventing consumer harm and ensuring ongoing occupational competence.

Outcome:

Following the completion of this initial phase a briefing will be prepared for the Minister for Building and Construction, outlining the findings, providing options and advising how the review of the Act should proceed.