ANNUAL REPORT
22/23

As the regulator for members and Chartered Professional Engineers, it’s crucial we uphold the standards of our profession.

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A lot has changed since Engineering New Zealand committed to strengthening the CPEng system in 2020. Since 2022, the CPEng system has been governed by the Chartered Professional Engineers Board (CPEng Board), allowing Engineering New Zealand’s Governing Board to focus on serving members and the CPEng Board to focus on ensuring registration and regulatory oversight of Chartered Professional Engineers.

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During 2023, improvements were made to how credentials are checked. As of September, 43 lead assessors were trained and available to help process assessments – twice the number as a year ago – and most assessments take no more than three months from application to registration.

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For engineers applying for Chartership, detailed guidance documents have been published, and applicants have been further supported through quarterly webinars. The new guidance documents clarify expectations – from how assessments work, to what materials will need to be submitted, to the criteria by which applicants will be judged.

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“Chartered Professional Engineer’ is a protected title and quality mark for engineers who have undergone a competency assessment, and one that councils should be able to trust.”

– Dr Richard Templer FEngNZ , Chief Executive, Engineering New Zealand  

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More resources have also been invested in systems that enforce the high standards Chartered Professional Engineers are held to and ensure accountability. This includes new internal performance monitoring and reporting processes, and a new disclosure system that allows others to raise concerns about the suitability of a person applying for or renewing their registration as a Chartered Professional Engineer.

These are all vital steps needed to protect the public, the profession, and the credibility of CPEng as a quality mark of current competence.

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In May we became aware one of our members, an engineering technologist, Jonathan Beau Hall, had misused the signatures of Chartered Professional Engineers to expedite the consenting of his designs, with hundreds of properties across the country likely to be impacted. Engineering New Zealand took its concerns to the police. We acted quickly to provide information and resources for engineers, councils and architects, owners and the public. Many of our members also took on considerable extra workloads to help councils respond to the emerging situation. Hall pleaded guilty to forgery in December and will be sentenced in March 2024. Engineering New Zealand has also brought disciplinary proceedings against Hall and suspended his membership pending the outcome of those proceedings.