Hey guys - while you are all sitting around contemplating whether to get on that big bird and head to Aussie - put pen to paper and sign the petition the Federation has proposed, and also get your wider family and workmates to sign too.  This will at least be attempting to make some changes.  That and keep putting pen to paper to the Minister, but be specific about your complaints.  Cost of licencing is a huge one - and each time we get exam results it rears its head and a new wave of new qualified practitioners look at the costs properly. The shame is that we try and get our apprentices on board about this early on but until it hits them between the eyes and they have to fork out these costs they simply don't really care or perhaps understand.  It is hard to believe the actual costs of getting licensed for the first time.  Some of the costs that fall in this basket, and the ones that really put the price up - is the overseas tradesman getting assessed for their first time NZ licence.  Otherwise for NZ trained and qualified people it should simply be a matter of an administrative function in swapping you from a trainee register to a licensed register - with some background checks with NZQA and the ITO - two to three hours max per person I would have thought with most being less if they have provided all their paperwork at the time of application.

hi guys, this is what will be the undoing of the board, young guys(tradesmen)coming through trying to balance the cost of living and eventually leaving the trade for work that is not dominated by overpaid administrators, cheers

whats the federation, ill sign it!!!, anything to make my life as a plumber a hell of alot easier suits me fine!!!!!!

Wow!!

I am so glad that I saw this! I have sent an email to get involved in the Federation.

You know what really sucks?
Being a craftsman plumber from the US and moving here.

I got to start over as an apprentice level, fly to Wellington for a week to do a $3500 hands on examination, sit the registration exam, wait 18 months to sit the Craftsman and then fail it because what the hell was that?

Now, I have lived here 3 years and I am still no where near getting back to my Craftsman status.

Hi Tex, been here since "96" managed to get all my tickets only to have the last 3 years robbed off me by small minded cowardly pin heads, take a look at my profile, its all about who you know, not what you know, and whose arse you want to pucker up to. My old boss got his ticket (full craftsman gasfitter) after ONE ORAL EXAM, not a plumber who was then given his gas, the idiot hadn't even sat an apprenticeship, he was selling gas!!!!!!
He messes with my work adds on appliances to my certs and gets off with a $ 10 000 fine after someone nearly gets killed, to this day no one has been properly asked about what happened at the property and the guy is kicking back retired. 
I love this country but there is one cunt-tree that seems to keep producing tossers who totally mess it up for others.
The Federation is the best thing that has happened to NZ plumbing, full stop ( or "period" for you seppo's lol  )