Building Act overhaul: Engineers question certification plan

Engineering New Zealand is questioning the government's plan to introduce a new certification scheme as part of its overhaul of the Building Act. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment says the current voluntary Chartered Professional Engineers scheme doesn't serve its purpose and building consent authorities don't consider it a reliable mark of competence. So they're proposing a new voluntary certification scheme overseen by the Ministry for Building and Construction, as well as restricting safety-critical work to those with a special licence.  Engineering New Zealand's chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene supports the licensing scheme for safety-critical work but is not in favour of certification.