Kia ora and welcome to the first edition of Build the Future.

It is with great excitement we reintroduce our industry newsletter. Here at Future Skills, there have been a few changes as we underwent a rebrand in May – with our new logo depicting an open book and rising sun. We are looking to the future and new beginnings, while building on our education foundation.

GET TO KNOW THE TEAM

I am the recently appointed Head of Department (HoD) for the Building Surveying Department at Future Skills. I come from a construction background, learning my trade on various residential projects around Auckland before starting my own company building full contract architectural residential projects. I have also been contracted by several companies as a site manager to oversee the construction of various projects, mainly in the residential and lite commercial sector. After 18 years in the building industry, I migrated into the tertiary education sector becoming a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader at Manukau Institute of Technology in the Building School.  

I took a three-year hiatus from full-time employment in 2016 while I attended University full-time in Auckland to achieve my degree while continuing to teach on various construction related papers at Manukau Institute of Technology part-time.  During that time, I met my partner Beck and on completion of my degree we moved to Kaeo in the Far North. At the same time, I commenced work for the Far North District Council as Team Leader of Consents, the Building Support Group and the PIM team. Of course, I had to continue studying to achieve my Reg 18 qualification and that’s where I met the team at Future Skills. I was impressed by Future Skills’ work ethos of continuous improvement. So, when I was asked to join the academic team a few years later, I had no hesitation in accepting a lecturing position.

I continue to live in Kaeo with Beck and our family to which we added a new addition in 2019.  Outside of work, I enjoy riding motorcycles, spending time on the Whangaroa Harbour in our old 1955 Kauri launch and playing a bit of bass guitar. I am enjoying my new position as HoD and the opportunity to contribute further to the success of our programmes.

Peter is a qualified carpenter with two diplomas in Building Surveying.  Peter has been with Future Skills for five years and, as a Senior Lecturer, brings a wealth of expertise to the organisation relating to central government processes, legislation, regulations and construction certification.  He has worked for a multitude of government and local government agencies over the years including:

• The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
• The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
• Christchurch City Council, Manukau City Council, and a brief stint at Auckland City Council
• Ministry of Works in the Kingdom of Tonga for the World Bank
• Serving Member of the New Zealand Defense Force with 2^nd Engineer Regiment, Royal New Zealand Engineers.

He is a real people person, always happy to pull up a chair and share his expertise.

Peter also owns his own company, SPARCON NZ LTD, where he provides expert witness work for local government and law firms around the country, focusing specifically on construction, inspection and certification.

In May 2024, Peter was elected as Vice President of the Building Officials Institute of New Zealand (BOINZ) after serving a term as a director.  Peter believes BOINZ' goals mirror his personal goals within industry including: its vision of improving the quality of the built environment, providing quality education and ongoing relevant training, compliance with legislation, creation of industry partnerships and providing relevant products and services for BOINZ members.

STUDENT OF THE YEAR 2024

The Future Skills Student of the Year Award recognises both academic participation and leadership in learning of a current student enrolled in the New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying. This year, it was impossible to separate our top two nominees, so our joint winners are: Vahishta Patel & Kames Kirkland

Bachelor of Building Surveying and Control

July saw the launch of our Bachelor of Building Surveying and Control and our first cohort.  They gathered in Auckland for an introduction to the programme and overview of the requirements.

The first qualification of its kind in New Zealand, it gives learners the knowledge and skills they need to carry out management tasks, survey buildings, and assess building applications against legal requirements.

Read more about the programme here.

If you would like to join the next cohort commencing January 2025, please attend our webinar on 7 November at 6pm. Register your attendance for the event here:

STUDENT SUCCESS

Peter Edwards, Opotiki District Council

Peter’s success story encompasses everything from sawmilling and marine biology to environmental science and Kaupapa Māori.  Peter’s best advice “Don’t give up!  No matter how hard it might get, just keep going and make sure you get in touch with the awesome approachable tutors, and of course your fellow students.”

UPCOMING INTAKES

Building Regulatory Environment – BRE-Level 4

In employment – January 2025 (fully online)

Diploma in Building Surveying

Proposed North Island year 1 intake – January 2025
Proposed South Island year 1 intake – January 2025

Bachelor of Building Surveying & Control

Part-time and full-time options available – February 2025 start

CHANGES TO THE INDUSTRY

Interconnected smoke alarms for residential (SH) buildings

Between May and July 2022, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment sought feedback for proposals on protection from fire for residential homes.

The summary of the decision from the consultation was the adoption of interconnected smoke alarms as the minimum fire safety system in household units.  Interconnected smoke alarms work by sending signals between the smoke alarms in the house, meaning that if one smoke alarm in a particular room detects a fire, all the smoke alarms in the house will activate and sound an alarm.  Requiring interconnected smoke alarms as the minimum fire alarm system in the residential home is expected to further reduce the number of fatalities and injuries each year.

The compliance pathways for this change include the amended/revised C/AS1, F7/AS1 and these solutions cite NZS 4514: 2021 for their installation. This change comes into effect on 1 November 2024.

Critical changes (apart from the change to interconnected smoke alarms) include:

• Alarms to be installed in all bedrooms (this used to be within 3m of a bedroom and audible at the bed head).
• In a kitchen where it can be separated from the living space and hallways by doors that can be closed, a heat alarm to avoid nuisance activations (this can include a garage).

For new houses, the above compliance pathways will usually be used, however, this will affect how you consider “as nearly as reasonably practicable’ under section 112 – Alterations to existing buildings.

KEEP UP WITH THE PLAY AND LOOK AT YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT RELATE TO SECTION 112 TO ENSURE YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT OUT COME 1 NOVEMBER!

STUDENT SUCCESS

WEBINAR - BACHELOR OF BUILDING SURVEYING AND CONTROL

We are hosting a special webinar to share more about our next offering of the Bachelor of Building Surveying and Control. If you would like to find out more about the programme, we will discuss areas like eligibility, content, course overviews, electives, timetables , enrolment processes plus a whole lot more. You can put all your burning questions to the hosts with a special question and answer session. Register your interest today here: 

Details of the event are as follows:

Date:                  7 November 2024

Location:           Online

Time:                  6 to 7pm

Hosts:                Brent Rodgers and Kavi Sewdayal

Future Skills key contacts:

0800 550 410
www.futureskills.co.nz
Email us at info@futureskills.co.nz

Manukau Campus  Level 4, Westfield Manukau
Royal Oak Campus  665 Manukau Road
Auckland Campus  Level 1, 350 Queen Street
Takapuna Campus  51 Hurstmere Road