I was talking with a friend of mine tonight and he was saying he's been retired for 7 or 8 years now.  He commented that when he didn't renew his licence he duly received a letter from the Board, not congratulating him for over 50 years of plumbing, but telling him that if he did any plumbing he'd be liable for a $26,000 fine and up to two years in jail.  I told him about a few recent developments, ie, auditing as a condition of licencing, the increased number of people in the trades not re-licencing and the "fit and proper person" policy.  He said he's glad to be out of the industry.  He also reckoned that if he'd been an electrician that the licencing fees over the years would have been much less in total and when he retired he would have still been able to carry on doing work for his family.  Basically, I think that people like him are such a huge loss of knowledge and experience to the industry.  I know three other guys who are still registered and working, the youngest in his early 70's - two of them have decided to not register from next year.  They're all disappointed with the direction the Board is taking the industry and the change from teaching the trade to assessment at polytechs.

Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/rant-or-rave/5/changing-times-in-the-industry/1502/

2 years jail for helping your kids build a house.......those tossers who did people out of their life savings in the financial crash, home detention.....the people who had a hand in the CCTV building collapse can't even be kicked out of IPENZ......


Are you all happy about this....at least he's lucky to be retiring.....

i certainly wont put another apprentice through in this set up