hi guys/jax, Today alone I have searched for three gas certificates on the PGDB website - one for a warranty, one for a compliance issue and one for someone wanting to sell their property - none exist.  The owners are vague about who did the installations and can't remember the name of the supposed gasfitter.
 Jax i don`t see the problem, if you have to rip it out and start again so be it, so much for the cheap job,cheers

I agree - in the end quality gasfitters want to protect consumers - becasue these consumers are our lifeblood.  If you look at a customer as a "life long" customer then you want to assist them.  The hit and run merchants will just get more marketshare - the problem is that the poor old public don't have a bloody clue what they are meant to have and how they are meant to check if someone is properly authorised to install gas.  This part is where the PGDB have fallen down badly.  I subscribe to the philosphy that all practitioners should show their licence card as soon as they arrive on the job as a matter of course, then at least the customer will know what to ask for in the future.

Some punters will know they got a cheap job and they deserve what they get, but little old Mrs Smith will have been duped by the same guy.  We need to protect our own regulated industry - and the doing away with gas certs is the start of the rot setting in.  Mark my words there are some that would love to see this industry de-regulated - and that is not good for any of us.

Hi TS
I would support a voluntary filing system if the PGDB would do it for the same cost.  I've nothing against on site audits either.

We're talking about the audits that the Board gets done on us by the Australian outfit thats got the contract.

The Board will still have to assure themselves of competency of practitioners as required under the Act.  As to the audits I think the days of the Australians are long gone.  They no longer have the contract with the PGDB it was not renewed.  I believe there have been some audits in Taupo trialling a new system.  The audits done by Casey Services were easy to work around - gasfitters gone progressively better at knowing what the auditor wanted and being prepared for the questioning which was basically working through 5261 - and then some on site visits depending on how many gas certs you filed.  If the Board come up with another system which involves visiting jobs then I think this is a more thorough way to deal with checking competency.  A job is what it is, you can't "prepare" for it like you can a question and answer session on 5261.  If you follow the regs and manufacturer's instructions then you will get through an on site audit without any issues. 

I think it is reasonable that the PGDB do random audits as part of discharging their legal responsibilities - but lets hope that it is done by Kiwi firms this time around.  Mind you with the disappearance of the certs it will be interesting to see on what basis they draw candidates.   I also believe that if you pass an audit then you have been proven competent and they should stretch out the time until the next one, rather than have the bi-annual ones as previously done.  This will keep a lid on costs and target the most at risk.

This could be a good opportunity to scrap the audit system. We get cpd points. Is that not enough? Electricians don't have to have audits.

This was a NAtional initiative to reduce compliance costs which are passed onto the consumer. It might cost $25 but thats not what we've been charging the consumer.

hi guys, yes company owners charging a lot more than $25 and letting the certifyer take all the responsibility. I believe that certifying gasfitters should have it written into their employment contract ,that the company take full responsibility for the work that they perform on their behalf,cheers