The Hon Dr Nick Smith is the new Minister of Building and Construction and this week two members of the Federation Executive met with him and a delegation of his advisors at the Beehive. This was very much a meet and greet meeting with the opportunity being given to the Federation to express its views and to listen to the Minister’s initial views.  Find out what happened.

Recruiting: To be able to affect change we need the industry to show a united front or have at least an industry organisation that has sufficient numbers to force change. If the change isn’t forthcoming we need to have sufficient numbers because being strong doesn’t always mean you have to fight the battle. True strength is being able to walk away from the nonsense with your head held high.

The Minister has accused the Federation of being negative. Obviously we don’t agree with that opinion – we see ourselves as being the “plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers watchdog”.  Next week watch for an exciting announcement regarding an initiative to assist in the protection of the health and safety of the consumer, whilst also helping practitioners.


Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/fellow-practitioners-update/41/fellow-practitioner-issue-213-dated-4-july-2014/1712/

Ironic I know Watchdog....I believe that might be in my witch hunt.

John Darnley (my old boss who all the evidence points to for an explosion) resigned from NZIGE (an arm of IPENZ) the very month after the explosion. The explosion nearly killed some one in early April 09 and he had resigned by the following May 09 News letter. Then Tony Hammond, another IPENZ member (actually an IPENZ award winning member) misrepresented and withheld evidence and shafted me.

I wonder if Stephen Parker (chair of my hearing/kangaroo court) and Tony Hammond (both also NZIGE members) have resigned/will resign? There may be more members but it is now difficult to gather info from the internet as it appears to have been restricted.....appears it must be either a club with secrets or a secret club?

Must be a protection built in to their little cabal, something like...... we'll protect you so far, but then you got to leave or perhaps the club comes first....lol.

Have a look at point six in this letter by Nick Smith...........What has changed?

hi guys/Badger, so what happened? and what was the outcome? cheers

hi guys/badger, so what happened when Nick smith wrote to Associate minister Patsy Wong? did`nt the hon P.Wong resign not long after that?!!! cheers 

hi guys, some notes from the auditor general.
...Auditor-General’s overview
The work of the Board is important (debatable) through its registration and licensing processes, it controls entry to the plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying trades. Effective regulation of these trades is important for public safety (maybe where is the proof) these trades are also important economically because they are necessary for an effective building and construction industry. Equally, the Board’s decisions are important for the people who need licences to be able to work, and for the businesses that employ them.
There is no doubt that the costs of regulation fall heavier on the group of trades that the Board regulates than some other regulated workers. The Board regulates a much smaller number of tradespeople than, for example, the Electrical Workers Registration Board or the Building Practitioners Board. It is entirely funded by tradespeople, and it has a unique role in prosecuting unregistered and unlicensed people carrying out unlawful work. The result is that costs to plumbers, gasfitters, and drainlayers are higher than the costs for some other tradespeople.

Intergrated the short version,
 As I'm aware you do not have to have a licence/qualification to work on / install watermains even tho it is a potable water supply, if designed by a engineer.
I was to get involved with a dept of health funded town water supply upgrade, 150mm PVC  pumped from a well in the river bed  to supply tanks that then gravity fed to the town with a ring main for fire hydrants.
I arrived on site to find the project manager had laid 500 meters of pipe and covered it.
no testing, no compaction,poor bedding material and of insufficient amount, had not torqued the gibault fittings and no knowlege of this even tho the fittings come with a tag attached with instructions, little attempt at thrust blocks, poor traffic management, the list goes on.
I left when there was almost a argument with the engineer about fitting the pumps with a mac union or some means of decoupling for future maintenance and wrapping the galvanised pipe that was to be buried with denso tape or some protection.
I was quite shocked that even assets and management had no worries about it at all.

I was quite angry given the crap we have to put up with just to ply our trade and here is a monkey doing a 750k job with no ticket, licence or experience.

I doubt he will have any liability either, my parting comment was i thought he had big balls and no brain.

To be honest it made me think about other avenues of work. unfortunately for me plumbing is a disease not a career.