Minutes
Southern Branch
Training and Networking Event
Held on
14th September at 10.00am
At
Timaru District Council (Council Chambers)
Welcome:
Mike Nesbit (Secretary) on behalf of Chairperson Stu Chapman welcomed members and advised he was pleased to see such a great turnout. He then introduced and thanked Jayson Ellis from Timaru District Council for providing the venue and for supplying the catering. A Health and Safety briefing was then completed.
Attendance:
Waimate District Council: David McFarlene
Mackenzie District Council: Grant Hyde, Leanne Rush
Waitaki District Council: Brent Cunningham, Tony Familton,
Dunedin City Council: Peter Brookland, Steve Corson, Corey Barrett
Central Otago District Council: Peter Meikle
Gore District Council: Alan Farquharson
Timaru District Council: Mike Nesbit, Monica Hakkaart, Marion Finn, Paul Hansen, Kirk Downes, Murray Winmill
Independent Contractor: Phillip Bone
BOINZ Board Member: Jayson Ellis
Apologies:
Stu Chapman, Mark Stericker, David Williams, Barry Holsted, Michael Reece, Dave Laws, John Redshaw, Russell Wall, Derek Neil, Roger Cook, Steve McLellan, Russell Paterson, Trevor Gilder, John Hunter, Brendon Wells
Site Visit
Mike advised the parking location for the afternoons site visit at the Holcim Cement Plant.
Previous Minutes
Members stated they have not seen the minutes from the previous meeting. A hard copy was then distributed to the attendees. Mike read the previous minutes. There was suggestion that the previous meeting minutes could going forward be attached to the agenda that is sent prior to the next meeting.
The previous minutes were accepted as accurate by the members
Moved: Peter Brookland (Dunedin City Council) Seconded: Brent Cunningham (Waitaki District Council)
Correspondence in:
• Michael Marron from Southland District Council asked if BOINZ provides training for members that are not currently enrolled in the NZ Diploma of Building Surveying and have already gained an alternative qualification.
• There was a suggestion from a number of attendees that BOINZ should be offering advanced training courses for those that have gained the Diploma.
• Peter Gallagher from Timaru District Council spoke on the issues surrounding Freestanding Heaters/ Wood burners as there are flue kits currently on the market that do not meet the durability requirements of B2. It is the inner flue/flexi flue that are causing the problems .Peter discussed how he had held a training session at Timaru District Council where he showed photos of Wood burners with this flexi flue kit which is failing in new Wood burners that have been issued a Code of Compliance Certificate. Peter suggested a PS3 Producer Statement could be provided by the installer for all Wood burner installs. The attendees agreed that part of the problem is that anyone can install a Wood burner. Some councils are requiring two inspections for inbuilt Wood burners. There was a suggestion of a - Register for the BOINZ Southern Branch, in which the installers provide PS3 producer statements for parts of wood burner installs that are not visible to the inspector. Attendees also thought a register may be a waste of time. Jayson Ellis - (BOINZ) asked what was the expectation from BOINZ in this matter? Mike Nesbit suggested bringing the issue it to the Cluster group meeting, and Jayson agreed that it be added to the agenda for the next cluster meeting. Attendees also suggested possible checksheets or guidelines from BOINZ. There was also the suggestion that BOINZ could also approach MBIE and ask for guidance on this matter.
General Business:
• It was mentioned that a one-day Advanced Fire Training course was to be held in October. It was hoped that it would be held in the MacKenzie region.
• Peter Brookland from Dunedin City Council said it would be helpful to have a detailed explanation included in the agenda prior to the branch event. This would help determine what staff should attend the Southern Branch Meetings.
• Mike and Stu asked attendees to think of any helpful and relevant guest speakers for future meetings and to send any suggestions to them via email. Mike gave an example of bringing in a Bella Vista Expert to present, however there would be a cost involved which would make it impractical.
• Members expressed that they would like to see more products being pitched to BCO's, with emphasis on product benefits and limitations and technical specifications
• Phillip Bone discussed processing alternative solutions for BCO's and how they can comply with the building code.
• Mike Nesbit raised the issue of Subdivisions, where Services and Building Consents are different and not consistent. The question was asked as to who's issue is this. Is it Building, Planning or Water and Drainage? Dunedin City Council are now putting consents on hold until all issues are resolved by the particular units before building commences to avoid the need to fix issues that arise.
• A question was asked about who's responsibility it is to enforce the conditions on a Certificate of Title and that if provided by BCO's does that then put liability on the councils? It was unclear if each Council gets a copy of the interests and conditions that are on the Certificate of Title.
• It was suggested that the topic of Change of Use should be added to the next meeting's agenda. This is relevant due to Air BnB and Book a Bach and members were asked their opinion on the subject.
BOINZ Representative Update
• Jayson Ellis (BOINZ Board Member) addresses the meeting and discussed training. He spoke about planned advanced training for BCO's that have worked in Council for several years. These will compliment the BOINZ training courses on the Building Code, and BOINZ is also looking at how to provide courses on Building Competencies R1-R3 and C1-C3. If you can provide any information on how this could work, please email Stu or Mike, to pass on to the BOINZ training team.
• Jayson updated members on the New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying, stating that given there are many parties involved with the delivery of the Diploma and struggled with early responsibility lines, caused some issues. BOINZ are only providing some of the training for those enrolled in the Diploma. The point of contact is Otago Polytechnic via their website.
• Mike Nesbit who is currently working towards his New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying, provided his feedback on the courses. Venues for the Diploma are being spread out across different Councils, which allowed for increased accessibility to attend the courses. He mentioned that it would be helpful if the calendar for 2019 was available soon, to help plan for the year ahead. At the start of the year there were a few inconsistencies in respect to the when and where the courses were being held as Jayson Ellis had mentioned.
• Jayson talked about a BOINZ Advisory Group that BOINZ uses to assess the Building Code/Standard industry issues and the newly formed Building Code Technical Risk Advisory Group (BCTRAG) on which he is a BOINZ appointed member.
• Jayson also spoke about the Senior Building Forum that was held on 15-17th August in Napier. He stressed that all senior building control officers should attend, as it is extremely valuable experience in terms of networking opportunities and enhancing knowledge.
• Murray Winmill noted that the Government is very focused on KiwiBuild. A question was raised as to whether the 100,000 homes that need to be built, should be constructed on site or in factories (Prefab/Modular)
• Jayson suggested that the BOINZ Training and Networking meeting agendas be sent out early to help encourage members to attend and BCA's to plan. This would also help in their understanding of the day's proceedings prior to the event. It was acknowledged that if members have more notice, they will be more likely to attend the event and achieve CPD points.
Gas Boiler Install
• In the previous meeting a gas boiler install was discussed and as yet an answer to the question has not been received. Mike will follow this up with Michael Marron from Southern District Council as to whether this is classified as "exempt building work" if it affected an existing firewall.
Site Visit
The site visit took place at the Holcim Cement Plant, Timaru Port, at 1.00pm. This was an informative and interesting visit and very well presented. The attendees got to witness the impressive amount of product volume that is pushed through the plant and then distributed.
Next Meeting
It was great to have the event in Timaru. It would be nice to have the meetings held all around the Southern region to encourage more members to attend.
The Next Meeting will be the AGM, held on the Friday 16th November 2018 at Dunedin City Council
Mike Nesbit closed the meeting at 3.00pm, following the Holcim Cement Plant site visit.
Mike Nesbit
Southern Branch Secretary
