Guidelines

Guidelines

We've created a series of guidelines on tricky subjects to describe best practices, clarify principles, and streamline engineering processes.

Defining and solving complex problems

This article provides a framework to help you tackle complex problems by distinguishing them from determinate ones. It sharpens your strategy and technical skills, covering everything from identifying issues to evaluating solutions and monitoring outcomes.

Assessing Projects

This guide will help you assess new projects and adapt to changes, focusing on concept sketches, risk considerations and contract writing. You'll learn to evaluate project risks and fees to ensure successful outcomes and avoid issues like underestimated costs and missed deadlines.

AI tools for everyday tasks

Not sure where to start with AI tools? This AI cheat sheet will help you effectively use tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude. It provides guidance on crafting better emails, summarising documents, researching and writing meeting minutes.

Quality Management Checklist

A quality management process is vital. An informal group of engineers - the Waikato Group, developed this document and allowed Engineering New Zealand to share it. You're free to download it and adapt it to your needs.

Calculations checklist

Checking your work before it's issued is critical. Engineering New Zealand has developed this one-page summary for structural engineers. It can easily be adapted to other disciplines. If you are interested in one for your discipline, please contact us.

Warehouse Review Findings

Following the Masterton buildings inquiry, Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau commissioned a review of 20 warehouses across New Zealand to understand if issues of design quality observed in the Masterton cases were seen outside these cases.

Guidelines: Ten tips for better design of low-rise structures

We recommend engineers involved with warehouse design to take guidance from SESOC's 'Ten tips for better design of low-rise structures'.

Template: Construction monitoring site visit

Engineers have asked for a flexible construction monitoring report. As a result, we’ve developed this spreadsheet for you to download and use. If you have any feedback to improve it please contact us with “Attn Engineering Practice” in the subject.

An example of a good construction monitoring report

Guidelines: Bracing units in SED structures

We've been collaborating with SESOC, Winstone Wallboards, Auckland Council, Timber Design Society and BRANZ, to deliver updated guidance on the use of P21 tested bracing systems in SED structures.

You can review, with relevant examples, the background to bracing systems that have undergone P21 testing and their limitations when used in SED structures, such as two and three-storey townhouses, that diverge from traditional designs of the past.

Guidelines: Critical reflection

You use critical reflection to build competency and capability in a deliberate and structured approach. Understanding how to critically reflect on your work contributes to building CPD in a meaningful way and benefits everyone you work with - organisations, projects, teams, and individuals - improving performance and outcomes.

The below guidelines are designed to help you navigate the process of critical reflection.

Template: Design Features Reports

These have been recommended by Engineering New Zealand, SESOC, the Construction Industry Council and the Royal Commission on Canterbury Earthquakes. This report was included in their publication as being a suitable example of what an engineer should provide. Individual practices can adapt this to suit, even on a project-by-project basis. Extra rows and columns can be added. 

The aim is to convey to a building council official or checking engineer, the main parameters used in the structural design.

This DFR template was devised and compiled by Engineering New Zealand Fellow, Dr David Hopkins, using material supplied by SESOC.

Guidelines: Understanding the bounds of your competence

Engineering work is growing increasingly complex, multi-disciplinary, and specialised. When we say that an engineer is competent, we’re inferring from the information we have about an engineer’s current or past performance to an expectation of future performance. That inference relates to a range of possible future scenarios.

Engineering New Zealand has developed these guidelines for engineer's to provide information on understanding and staying within their bounds of competence.

Guidelines: Construction Monitoring

Construction monitoring is required for all construction projects but the level of monitoring required depends on the project.

You can find the ACE New Zealand construction monitoring guidelines on their website – ‘Guideline on the briefing and engagement for consulting engineering services – 1st edition, 2004’

Guidelines: Issues with residential hold-down systems

Bracing systems in New Zealand commonly use hold-down bolts like the MiTek screw bolt/GIB HandiBrac system. Recent conversations with engineers and designers have raised potential issues to be aware of when using them on internal bracing lines with concrete slabs and detailing for timber floors.

While this article uses MiTek as an example, we primarily illustrate the need to follow a reliable load path and consider the requirements of the system specified, regardless of the manufacturer.

Guidelines: Practice guidance for engineers on climate change (2021)

We're committed to supporting our members, and the engineering profession, to develop the solutions society needs to respond to the climate crisis. These preliminary guidelines have been developed to provide guidance to engineers on how they may meet their ethical obligations when it comes to climate change in their day-to-day practice. Through Engineering Climate Action, we will develop further guidance for engineers.

Guidelines: Structural Tips and Tricks (2021)

The purpose of these tips and tricks is to help you avoid failure by understanding some basic rules of thumb and simplifying a complex problem to compare your understanding to a computer output. We have developed this document to share knowledge that is often not written down, so we can all benefit from the years of on-the job-experience and learnings of senior engineers.

Guidelines: Construction Monitoring Site Advice (2021)

Construction monitoring isn’t a course taught at university or polytechnics, yet it plays a vital role in ensuring the project is completed properly. Engineering New Zealand and the Engineering General Practitioners Group have been working on a general guideline of what to do and what to look out for when going to site.

Geotechnical report template (2023)

A geotechnical report should:

• provide an appropriate level of geotechnical advice and recommendations concerning the specific project requirements at the proposed project's location, and
• Meet the needs of the other stakeholders (e.g., BCA, architect, client, structural engineer).

Engineering New Zealand, in collaboration with the New Zealand Geotechnical Society, the Engineering General Practitioners Group, the Structural Engineers Society, and engineers from Christchurch and Tauranga Councils, has produced this guideline and outline template to be used by geotechnical engineers to communicate geotechnical findings to other disciplines on simple, low-risk projects.

Guidelines: Geotechnical input flowchart (2021)

A simple, one-page flowchart that works through from the start of the design phase and moves onto the site conditions. It informs whether the client should engage a specialised geotechnical engineer for the project.

Guidelines: Initial Geotechnical Assessment Report (2021)

Engineering New Zealand has developed this Soil Suitability Report spreadsheet for engineers to provide information to BCAs in situations where a full geotechnical report is not required. To provide feedback for future improvements, please email us

Guidelines: Residential portal frames (2020)

Engineering New Zealand and the Engineering General Practitioners Group, with input from senior engineers throughout New Zealand, have produced a general guide for the design of residential portal frames.

Guidelines: B2 Practice Advisory (2020)

The issue of how to appropriately deal with New Zealand Building Code Clause B2 – Durability, has been a subject of some debate within the building industry. This practice advisory attempts to outline the issues, current practices, what is practicable and reasonable, and suggests areas where industry guidance and/or change is needed.

Guidelines: How to use the revised C5 (2019)

Find out how to use the revised version of section C5 of the Seismic Assessment Guidelines.

Guidelines: How the new Health and Safety Act 2015 will affect you (2015)

Learn about your obligations under the new Health and Safety Act. Find out who is responsible for what, and what is expected from you.

Guidelines: Improving Collaboration between Architects and Engineers (2014)

Learn valuable insight into how architects and engineers approach design and highlight opportunities for collaboration. Find out when it’s best to collaborate and how engineers and architects can get the most value from collaborating with each other.

Guidelines: Construction Monitoring Services (2014)

Construction monitoring confirms certain aspects of building work have been completed according to building consent. Learn about the range of levels of construction monitoring and the methodology that engineers should adopt.

Guidelines: Using Producer Statements (2013)

Learn how to use the standard Producer Statements developed by Engineering New Zealand with ACENZ and NZIA.

Guidelines: Combating Counterfeit Parts and Substandard Materials (2011)

Learn how to take basic precautions to reduce the risk of using counterfeit parts and substandard materials. Find out how to recognise and avoid using such products.