2 Aug 2023
A lot has changed since Engineering New Zealand committed to strengthening the CPEng system in 2020. In particular, 1 January 2022 marked a new beginning for the Registration Authority, with the freshly created Chartered Professional Engineers Board taking over governance of the CPEng system.
The creation of the new board has two clear benefits. First and foremost, it allows each entity to focus on what it does best. Engineering New Zealand continues to support and advocate for its members and the engineering profession, while the Registration Authority fulfils its statutory obligations as a registrar and upholds CPEng’s reputation as a protected title. Secondly, separating those agendas has eliminated any perceived conflict of interest between Engineering New Zealand’s role as a regulator and membership organisation.
The development of better processes, greater transparency and support for all involved in the CPEng system has also been a key objective.
Improvements have been made to how credentials are checked, and we’ve grown the pool of assessors, with assessors also now having access to better training and support. As a result, the number of assessments being completed each month has doubled, with most taking no more than three months from application to registration.
For engineers who are applying for Chartership, detailed guidance documents have been published, and applicants are 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.
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 performance monitoring and reporting for our internal processes, and a new disclosure system that allows both the public and the industry to raise comments and concerns about the suitability of a person applying for registration as a Chartered Professional Engineer or renewing their registration.
These are all vital steps needed to protect the public, the profession, and the credibility of CPEng as a quality mark of competence. Building consent authorities can be confident that when they use a Chartered Professional Engineer, they will receive expertise to a given standard and from engineers who have proven experience.
Meanwhile, in addition to benefitting from the professional clout that CPEng confers, Chartered Professional Engineers can expect assessments and reassessments to be smoother and more straight-forward, even with our standards being as high as they’ve ever been.
Find out more about improvements to the Registration Authority, and if you’re ready to take your engineering career to the next level, we encourage you to apply for CPEng today
