The thing is, for an industry to run properly there needs to be structure.

It seems the plumbing board has always been  troubled.

For what reason, I'm not sure.

I like the idea of our trade being protected, but there has to be more support from the board. Thats where changes need to be made.

KC

I'm all for losing the board, they're out of focus, out of practice and although there are very nice people who work there, the decision makersat the top show their  incompetence on a regular basis. they allow themselve to be involved in personality based politics that detract them from their tasks. they have been proven incompetent in court. there is too much executive sway  they have no support from the many who choose to have nothing to do with them. I am sure we all know plumbers who dont give a hoot about them.
Given the abysmal pass rates for the exams written by the board who are not  practicing plumbers or qualified academics and who choose not to take the advice of such, have chosen to;
   A, develop a level 'c' class of licence and
   B, support a 50% reduction of training time for apprentices,
 
  This show the dumbing down of the trade. initiated and led by the board
 
 

BEWARE OF THE PLUMBING POLICE.
 
The plumbing police was an initiative some years ago by the plumbing board of New Zealand. It was introduced to combat `COWBOYS` who were untrained tradesmen who carried out plumbing work that was generally faulty and caused all sorts of Health and Safety problems, so the board introduced a `LEVI` that was imposed on all qualified plumbers, this `LEVI` was to prosecute `COWBOYS` and rid the trade of faulty workmanship! Great. Well apart from this `LEVI` increasing along with the normal licence fee every year, the net has been extended to include all tradesmen in the trade who may have made a mistake, has not renewed their licence, or has been deemed by the plumbing police that they have not carried out a rule or regulation perfect job. This has become a cash cow for the board with money flowing their way by the $1000s, tradesmen are leaving the trade/country in droves, does this faze the board? Not at all, the board is a well oiled, well paid group who will not give up their easy soft jobs; in fact they are probably looking for new initiatives. Imagine this Scenario:-
The New Zealand Government has allowed extensions to be built onto every police station across the land to house the Plumbing Police, they will have their own uniforms and Plumbing Police cars and will be able to stop any plumber’s vehicle to check for any out of date licences, instant fines will be issued to non licence holders, also they will check for Health and Safety equipment, safety shoes/hard hats, goggles,
Etc, again instant fines apply for non-compliance. They will call into any place where building work is taking place to check out plumbing compliance, fault finding will take place and again instant fines for minor inadequacies. The plan works wonderfully well and the money rolls in, is this the Goldmine discovery that will get the country out of the red? Yes they agree. Onward and upward the board comes up with another brainwave, the board will patent the Plumbing Police and sell system and software across the world, it works a treat and countries financial problems are quickly solved, the board of New Zealand has solved the world financial crisis and makes a fortune in the process.


Back in New Zealand a problem has come to the notice of the board, plumbers phones are ringing but are not being answered, plumbers are afraid to go to work while the Plumbing Police are about so hide during daylight hours, working only at night to earn just enough to survive and to feed their families. The money stops rolling in! the board cannot understand what is going on (but then they never could) so set up an emergency meeting with the Plumbing Police. It is decided that the Plumbing Police will now operate a 24hr system to stop this illegal work; they employ a lot more staff, staffing is not a problem with their new found wealth. The plan is very successful with a silver lining, the Plumbing Police have discovered that home owners and businesses are carrying out their own plumbing because they can’t get plumbers to do it, the money rolls in again but more problems are just around the corner. Plumbing problems are developing across the land, leaking pipes, no hot water, blocked drains, overflowing toilets and nobody brave enough to risk being found working by the Plumbing Police. The board must act quickly, the Health and Safety of all New Zealand is in grave danger, another emergency meeting of the great minds is called, with the outcome quickly arrived at. We will set an advertising campaign in place to recruit as many people as possible to be trained as plumbers with crash courses and huge rewards for the successful candidates who will then proceed to clean up the mess left by the previous work force. Sadly the campaign failed with nobody wanting to be tricked into joining an organization that charges so much to go to work and then take a large chunk of the eventual earnings by way of instant fines and disciplinary matters. Confidence of the people was at an all time low with failing Health and Safety sweeping the country, disease will soon spread because of sanitation issues. The board’s great minds must meet again to solve this impasse. The meeting lasted hours with much tea drinking, wringing of hands, twiddling of thumbs but no solution was arrived at other than to “pass the parcel” and send an urgent request to the minister of building and construction to come up with a solution. Tradesmen are still waiting, the whole country is hoping that the Plumbing Police will be discontinued and the Health and Safety of the people can be restored.  THE END.                 

is it true that the Registrar and CEO. aka "the Routhan" has been sacked recently? 

Hi Kiwigas
Read your post and agree with you.  Would you like some additional reading.
Kind regards
Allan

Begin forwarded message:
From: Allan Day <allan-day@xtra.co.nz>
Date: 21 October 2009 10:28:03 AM
To: nathan.guy@national.org.nz, "Tim Donoghue (DPT)" <Tim.Donoghue@dompost.co.nz>, "R Hide (MIN)" <R.Hide@ministers.govt.nz>, National Horowhenua <national.horowhenua@xtra.co.nz>, maurice.williamson@national.org.nz
Subject: Page A9 Dompost today.



Fellow Tradesmen

Please Click on the TWO links

Is this the so called Consumer Board  that states that tradesmen must display competency to them at our expense each year? 

We as tradesmen display competency,  and are answerable every working day to ourselves and our clients.

This article reads that  "The Board"  systems are incompetent.

Tradesmen do not support incompetence,  are you still paying a License Fee to fund this Consumer Board?  many are not.

What goods and services did, or will you receive for your money paid?   

Feel free to forward this to other tradesmen,   your views are welcome.

Kind regards
Allan Day 
Craftsman Plumber
Registered Drainlayer

 
  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2984117/Plumbers-board-boss-suspended-for-inquiry
 









Begin forwarded message:
From: Allan Day <allan-day@xtra.co.nz>
Date: 2 October 2009 3:55:31 PM
To: registrar@pgdb.co.nz, Tereska <tereska@pgdb.co.nz>, legal@hazelarmstronglaw.co.nz
Subject: Consultation and requirement of the Act.

Hi  Paul
Thank you for your time,  may I request that you forward this email to every member of our Board.  I look forward to your reply in due course pertaining to the matters.
Kind regards
Allan Day


Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006
Section 33 of the Act requires that the board must consult before publishing a notice under section 28 or 30 (1) (a) to (e). 

Consultation is a matter of case law in New Zealand

Statements of the board in your submission document.
The board must determine from this consultation process the registration and licensing regimes it will implement.  (page 2)

Within the same submission document the board makes the following statements.
(1) It is the boards intention to continue with a competency based licensing regime for gasfitters that has been in force since 1 April 2004.  (page 25)

(2) The board is introducing competency based licensing for plumbers and drainlayers.  (page 25)

(3) The board is introducing the credits/points system being used in the gasfitting model (excluding auditing) for plumbers and drainlayers.  (page 25)
 

The board is not in compliance with the Act as it has made a "board" decision without consultation pertaining to matters under sections 28 & 30. By stating that the Board "is introducing"   The board is required to consult under section 33.  It is your documents that confirm that you are not in compliance with the Act,  supported by case law,  pertaining to competency based licensing and credit points..

(1) GASFITTERS:  Your board intends to roll over a credit points system for gasfitters designed under the old Act into the new Act without consultation.

(2) PLUMBERS and DRAINLAYERS:  Your board is introducing a credits/points system for plumbers and drainlayers based on a gasfitting model from the old Act without consultation.
 

The board, by asking for ideas and what programs the industry would want,  has confused the submission document,  attempted to conceal the fact that a decision has been made by the board without consultation and have attempted to bypass the roll of the Minister under section 34.

(A) Consultation is a matter of case law in New Zealand.  This board, with its submission document does not reach the required level of compliance within the law. 

(B) The decision of this 'board' to roll over a system from the incompetent 2004 board formulated under the old Act, brings into question yet again the performance of this 'board'.

In conclusion,  and additional to the above, the credit/points system for gasfitters introduced under the old Act and decided upon by this board without consultation for the 2006 Act does not meet the requirements of section 32 of the 2006 Act relating to plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers.
I look forward to your response.

Allan Day
Craftsman Plumber
Registered  Drainlayer

06-3687960

Reference case law:
Wellington International Airport Limited and others v Air New Zealand [1993] 1 NZLR 671, at p. 675. Judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered by McKay J quoting McGechan J in the High Court in Air New Zealand and others v Wellington International Airport Limited and others, HC, Wellington, CP 403-91, Jan 6, 1992:

"Consultation must allow sufficient time, and a genuine effort must be made. It is a reality not a charade. The concept is grasped most clearly by an approach in principle. To "consult" is not merely to tell or present. Nor, at the other extreme is it to agree. Consultation does not necessarily involve negotiation toward an agreement, although the latter not uncommonly can follow, as the tendency in consultation is to seek at least consensus. Consultation is an intermediate situation involving meaningful discussion. Despite its somewhat impromptu nature I cannot improve on the attempt at description, which I made in West Coast United Council v Prebble, at p 405:
 
'Consultation involves the statement of a proposal not yet fully decided upon, listening to what others have to say, considering their responses and then deciding what will be done.'
Implicit in the concept is a requirement that the party consulted will be (or will be made) adequately informed so as to be able to make intelligent and useful responses. It is also implicit that the party obliged to consult, while quite entitled to have a working plan already in mind, must keep its mind open and be ready to change and even start afresh.
                                                                                                   
Beyond that, there are no universal requirements as to form. Any manner of oral or written interchange which allows adequate expression and consideration of views will suffice. Nor is there any universal requirement as to duration. In some situations adequate consultation could take place in one telephone call. In other contexts it might require years of formal meetings. Generalities are not helpful."
 


kiwigas.engineers@yahoo.com