From March 2012, critical building work on your home must be carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner (LBP).
Details have yet to be announced by the Government but this is likely to include:
• Design and construction of the primary structure (e.g. foundations and framing) of a house or small to medium-sized apartment to ensure the building can withstand vertical and horizontal loads.
• Design and construction of the external envelope (e.g. roofing and cladding) of a house or small to medium-sized apartment to ensure the building is weathertight.
• Design of fire safety systems (e.g. sprinklers, fire alarms) for small to medium-sized apartments. "The LBP scheme is all about designing and building right the first time," says the Department of Building and Housing's LBP registrar, Mark Scully.
"It's about recognising and promoting the skills and professional behaviours of designers, builders and tradespeople."
LBPs are accountable to an independent board and are independently assessed as competent in their line of work. Part of the assessment is contacting referees to check that applicants have recent technical skills.
Applicants do not have to be qualified, but those with a recognised qualification can apply using a faster, cheaper process.
The licence classes include design, bricklaying and blocklaying, external plastering, roofing, carpentry and foundations.
The Licensed Building Practitioner register at www.dbh.govt.nz/lbp-register has details of LBPs in each area.
