Building Practitioners Board – Member

About the Building Practitioners 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 LBPs that are prepared in accordance with Part 4 of the Act.
• Hear and decide complaints about, and 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(external link).

The Board is a statutory body

The Board is established under section 341 of the Building Act 2004 (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(external link).

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: https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/guidance/guide-he-aratohu/standards-of-integrity-and-conduct/(external link)

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 Cabinet Fees Framework. Board members are paid a daily fee of $505. In addition to fees, 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 5days 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 – member

Specific skills required

At this time, the Minister for Building and Construction is seeking candidates for three member roles on the Board who can provide the following skills and experience:

Role one:

• A Registered Architect with residential design experience, a Licensed Building Practitioner holding a current Design Licence, or a building surveyor with residential building experience.

Role two:

• A Licensed Building Practitioner holding a current Carpentry Licence who has contemporary industry experience.

Role three:

• A consumer representative that has had exposure to regulatory schemes, familiarity with or experience in working with codes of ethics or similar and who can provide a customer perspective to the Board’s work.

Additional skills, experience and attributes required

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

• Building industry experience (design, construction or inspection work)
• Thorough knowledge of the Building Act 2004 (the Act) and the Building Code
• Experience in tribunal or other decision-making processes
• An ability to weigh evidence, determine facts and make fair, well-reasoned decisions
• Experience of working in a collegial decision-making environment.

Under section 345 of the Act, the Minister may appoint a person as a member of the Board only if, in the Minister’s opinion, the person is qualified for appointment:

• Having regard to the functions, duties and powers of the Board.
• Because of that person’s knowledge, experience or expertise.

Applicants for a Board member role should have the necessary skills and experience to enable them to meet the requirements of a member as set out in the relevant legislation, and have the demonstrated skills to contribute to board-level decision-making. Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.

Disclosure of interest

As part of the appointment process, candidates are required to complete a Disclosure Form. The information that is disclosed by the candidates enables the responsible Minister to know the relevant interests and any conflicts that a person may have in relation to an appointment to an entity. The information is used to assess whether a candidate would be able to contribute effectively to the entity’s affairs, and where conflicts are identified, to ensure that these can be managed appropriately. 

Additional information

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