Building Practitioners Board – Chair

On behalf of the Minister for Building and Construction, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment is seeking applications from candidates interested in bringing their legal background and tribunal experience to the role of Chair of the Building Practitioners Board.

About the Board

The Building Practitioners Board (the Board) plays an important role in overseeing the Licensed Building Practitioners Scheme. The Board’s functions are to:

• Approve rules for recommendation to the Minister relating to Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs) that are prepared in accordance with Part 4 of the Building Act 2004 (the Act).
• Hear and decide complaints about, inquire into the conduct of, and discipline, LBPs in accordance with the Act.
• Hear appeals against certain decisions by the Registrar of the Board.
• Review and report to the Minister on the performance of the functions and duties, and the exercise of the powers of the Board in accordance with the Act.

The Board is not a governance board in the same way a Crown entity board provides strategic oversight for a Crown entity, instead it acts more like a tribunal. The Board is independent of MBIE but is supported in the performance of its role and functions.

The Board is committed to supporting the capability of New Zealand’s building and construction industry and maintaining building practitioner standards. Further information on the Board can be found on their website.

Our board(external link) — Licensed Building Practitioners

The Board is a statutory body

The Board is established under section 341 of the Act. The Minister for Building and Construction is the responsible Minister for the Board. Further provisions applying to the Board are contained in Schedule 3 of the Act. More information on the Act can be found here.

Building Act 2004(external link) — New Zealand Legislation

Board member responsibilities

Role of members

The Act sets out the provisions for the governance, reporting, and accountability arrangements of the Board. The collective duties of members are to ensure that the Board acts consistently with its objectives, functions, Statement of Performance Expectations and Output Agreements, and that the Board’s functions are performed efficiently, effectively, and in a manner consistent with the spirit of service to the public, in a financially responsible manner and in accordance with the rules of natural justice.

The individual duties of members are:

• To comply with their letter of appointment.
• To bring an objective and fair approach to disciplinary hearings.
• To be collaborative and an effective communicator, and be willing and available to devote time and energy to the role.
• To act with honesty and integrity, in good faith and in accordance with the principles of natural justice, and with reasonable care, diligence and skills.
• Not to disclose or make use of information that otherwise would not be available to them.

Members are expected to adhere to the Public Service Commission code of conduct. Further information can be found here:

Standards of Integrity and Conduct(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

Membership of the Board

Members are appointed for terms of up to five years and may be reappointed on the expiry of their term. Members of the Board may resign by written notice to the responsible Minister. Members may be removed from office at any time, and for any reason, by written notice from the Minister.

Time commitment and remuneration

Members are entitled to receive remuneration at a rate determined by the shareholding Ministers in accordance with the Cabinet Fees Framework. The Board Chair is paid a daily fee of $787 and in addition to this, members are entitled to be reimbursed for actual and reasonable experiences incurred while carrying out the duties of the Board.

The Board will meet as often as is necessary to carry out its role. Generally, members are expected to spend a minimum of five days per month up to 10-12 days per month (including preparation time and dependent on individual member availability) at Board meetings, hearings, and sub-committee meetings throughout New Zealand. The Board maintains a rolling complaints fixtures schedule (CFS) that captures member availability and assigns them to matters based on their availability. Board members are expected to regularly attend and participate and to commit to CFS allocations.

Person specifications

Specific skills required

At this time, the Minister of Building and Construction is seeking candidates for the position of Chair who have the following experience and expertise:

• Barrister or solicitor of at least five years standing.
• Tribunal or dispute resolution experience in a quasi-judicial setting.
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas:
  • Contract law.
  • Building and construction legislation.
  • Consumer protection law.
• A genuine interest in supporting effective regulation of licensed building practitioners.

Additional skills, experience, and attributes required

Ideally, candidates will have some or all of the following:

• Building industry knowledge.
• Board Chair experience.
• Experience working as a member in a collegial decision-making environment.

Additional information

For enquiries about the position, email: boardappointments@mbie.govt.nz