Dalziel Lianne: Architects Bill — First Reading 
Dalziel Lianne: Architects Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:613;Page:9763] 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Commerce) 
: 
 I move  
That the Architects Bill be now read a first time. 
 I will be moving that the bill be referred to the Government Administration Committee to be considered alongside the Building Bill as it represents an integral element of the wider review of the Building Act and the actions we are taking to improve inputs into the building process. Like the Building Bill this bill has been the subject of extensive consultation with affected parties. During the drafting stages officials consulted the Architects Education and Registration Board and the bill reflects that input. 
In my speech in the first reading debate on the Building Bill I said that it was the Government’s view that buildings should be designed and built right the first time. This bill provides for the first element of that—buildings designed right the first time. It repeals the Architects Act and introduces a modern regulatory framework for architects. Competent people lead to competent building design. Both the Hunn committee and the Government Administration Committee inquiry into the weathertightness of buildings in New Zealand identified a need to improve standards in the building industry. This bill makes a number of changes to improve those standards in respect of architects drawing on recent practice in occupational regulation and in particular on the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act. It also fits with the architects’ desire to update their legislation which is now 40 years old. We have worked with the New Zealand Institute of Architects and the Architects Education and Registration Board in the development of this bill. 
Part 1 outlines the commencement of the bill and other preliminary provisions. Part 2 outlines the registration complaints and disciplinary processes and procedures that will apply to architects. A key feature of this part is the introduction of both initial and ongoing competency assessment for architects. The current legislation allows for only the initial competency assessment of architects. At the moment an architect can remain registered indefinitely provided he or she pays the applicable fees and does not act in a manner that may result in removal from the register. The current legislation fails to ensure that initial competency standards are maintained or indeed to recognise the potential for changes in design methods over time to require different competencies from those initially tested. 
Providing people with the information they need to choose competent individuals to undertake building design is also important. The bill does that by continuing to protect the title of architect and by establishing a public register that includes details of disciplinary action taken against an architect over the preceding 3 years. 
Enforcement and sanctions must also be meaningful in order for a regulatory regime to work as intended. The criteria for disciplinary action under the 1963 Act are considered to have set the threshold for action too high to allow the regime to work effectively. The bill establishes new criteria that set out the grounds for disciplinary action. Penalties have not been increased since the 1963 Act came into force. They are outdated and provide little deterrent to offending. The maximum fine for breaches of the Act is $200. The bill increases the maximum fine for breaches to $5000 in line with comparable maximum fines under the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act. 
Part 3 of the bill establishes a new board—the New Zealand Architects Registration Board—to replace the existing Architects Education and Registration Board. This part of the bill also modernises the reporting and financial accountability requirements of the registration board its functions and other administrative processes and procedures so that they are in line with current practice for regulating occupational groups. 
The final part of the bill deals with miscellaneous provisions and the transitional arrangements to the new regime. It gives 1 year for the new board to develop rules and regulations governing architects after which the new controls will come into force. 
The bill is an integral element of the wider review of the Building Act and is complementary to the Building Bill which has already been referred to the Government Administration Committee. I commend the bill to the House.