The Whakatāne District Council now has one of the best-qualified building control teams in New Zealand, with six of its seven Building Control Officers being awarded with double national diplomas.

The Diplomas in Building Control Surveying for small and medium-large buildings are only available to building control officers who have been in the industry for at least five years. Accreditation required a formal assessment of the body of work undertaken by each candidate in the previous year, plus the successful completion of a professional competence interview with a panel of experts.

The Council’s Manager of Strategic Projects, Jeff Farrell, says that level of external qualification is very rare in New Zealand building consent authorities. “The Council has made a considerable commitment to facilitating the Building Control Officers’ attainment of these qualifications, which place us in a very strong position of technical competence,” he says.

“In addition, one of our officers is the youngest to have qualified in New Zealand, and the seventh member of our team will commence the qualification process in 2015, so we really are unique.”

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority national diplomas were developed specifically for building control officers by sector representatives, supported by the Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment. The Small Building Diploma is a NZQA Level 5 course, and the Medium and Large Building Diploma is a Level 6 qualification. Both were introduced following a successful pilot programme run by Otago Polytechnic in 2012, with the qualifications offered nationally in 2013.