Proposed changes to the LBP Scheme

MBIE wants your feedback on proposed changes to the Licensed Building Practitioners Scheme. These improvements are based on last year's industry

feedback, which identified several issues.

In 2021, MBIE consulted publicly on potential areas for improvement in the Licensed Building Practitioners Scheme focusing on its supervision, licensing classes, and core competencies and minimum standards for entry.

We received a great response from the sector –particularly LBPs, who made up almost half of all respondents. The consultation told us that, overall, the scheme was working well but there were a few areas for improvement.

Proposed changes based on feedback

We are now ready to test our proposed changes to the LBP Scheme based on your feedback in the upcoming consultation document Review of occupational regulation in the building and construction sector.

We are also seeking feedback on issues and proposals across some of the other occupational regulation schemes in the building sector, including the registered architects regime, the plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers regime and the electrical workers regime. We would welcome your views on how these other regimes are working.

Supervision changes

The first area of the LBP Scheme where we want to make changes is the supervision of restricted building work.

Submissions told us that there were problems with the way supervision was being handled, including inexperienced LBPs supervising incorrectly due to power imbalances and not having their competency tested before entering the scheme. Another issue raised was that LBPs are intentionally supervising incorrectly by renting out their supervision or cutting corners to meet deadlines.

The feedback also told us that the scheme did not provide any differentiation between experienced and skilled LBPs and those who had just entered the scheme. To address this, we propose introducing a licence endorsement for supervision.

This endorsement would only allow those who have been in the scheme for 3 years and have been deemed competent by the Registrar of Licensed Building Practitioners to supervise restricted building work. Licence holders without the endorsement would still be able to do restricted building work.

We believe that these proposed changes will increase the quality of supervision by limiting who can supervise to those who have proven themselves competent at doing so.

This change will also provide consumers with an opportunity to differentiate between the more skilled and less skilled LBPs and provide an incentive to LBPs to advance their skills.

New licensing areas added

The second set of changes MBIE is proposing is some new licensing areas. The submissions from the previous consultation told us that there were various areas that need to be added to the scheme. We propose introducing:

▶ stonemasonry to a renamed Bricklaying and Blocklaying class

▶ specialist areas like plasterboard installation and tanking to a new Specialist Installer class

▶ internal waterproofing, which will also involve expanding the definition of restricted building work.

We believe that these changes will have many positive effects.

The changes will make the scheme more efficient, especially in the case of the Specialist Installer class – unlicensed practitioners will no longer need to rely on an LBP to supervise their work and incur the costs that come with that.

Adding stonemasonry and internal waterproofing will provide regulation in areas that have previously gone untouched, reducing the risks to the public from the financial and life risks that can come from poor-quality work.

Competencies review

As the above work will involve creating new competencies, we consider this is the best time to look at the rest of the competencies that make up the LBP Scheme.

In 2021, we were told that the competencies were not fit for purpose for today’s sector and that the minimum standards for entry needed to be lifted. What we were not told, however, was what needs to be added or how these minimum standards could be raised.

What we need from you now is feedback

We would like to know where the changes need to be made and what we can do to make them.

As LBPs, you have all been through the licensing process at some stage and will all have first-hand experiences that you can draw on as examples.

While it is important to remember that most of a builder’s training is on the job site and that these assessments are the minimum level for entering the scheme, we want to ensure the LBP Scheme assessments remain a robust process.

Provide your feedback on proposals

The LBP Scheme ensures that Aotearoa New Zealand’s homes are built right, the first time, and we want to keep it that way. Your feedback will be used to help make the LBP Scheme fit for purpose for both today’s and tomorrow’s building sector.

You can access the consultation and survey documents on MBIE’s Have Your Say page at www.mbie.govt.nz/have-your-say/. Submissions can be made either by emailing building@mbie.govt.nz or by completing an online survey.

LBPs have the most experience using the scheme – please take the time to provide your feedback, it will go a long way to making sure that we have a building sector we can continue to take pride in.

by Ben McBride Policy Advisor, Building System Performance MBIE