Engineering in New Zealand - How Does Your Qualification Stack Up?

There is an increasing demand for Chartered Engineers within the New Zealand Engineering market, so there is a great chance for candidates to come from overseas and secure work in our fantastic country. With that in mind, it’s important for both our candidates and clients to understand which overseas engineering qualifications are recognised in New Zealand.

Here in New Zealand there are three international education accords that provide direct recognition of overseas engineering qualifications.

• Professional Engineering - Washington Accord
• Engineering Technology - Sydney Accord
• Engineering Technician - Dublin Accord

Should your overseas engineering qualification fall under any of the above agreements, you will be qualified for Graduate membership of IPENZ. This means that your qualification is also recognized as meeting the academic requirement for competence based membership or registration in the appropriate role in New Zealand.

The Washington Accord

The Washington Accord is an international agreement amongst bodies responsible for accrediting Engineering degree programmes. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those bodies, and recommends that graduates of these programs by any of the signatory bodies, listed below, be recognized by other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.

The Sydney Accord

Following on from the Washington Accord, a similar agreement was put into place for Engineering Technologists or Incorporated Engineers. 

The Dublin Accord

The Dublin Accord is another similar agreement for the international recognition of Engineering Technician qualifications.

What is CPEng, and why is it so important?

The title of Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) is the most important quality mark attesting to the current competence of a professional engineer in New Zealand. It is a statutory title under the Chartered Professional Engineers Act of New Zealand 2002 (CPEng Act), which established a register of professional engineers whose competence is up-to-date.

In New Zealand, the title CPEng can be used only by engineers on the CPEng register, administered by IPENZ as the Registration Authority under the Act. The CPEng Rules govern the way the Registration Authority carries out these functions. 

Chartered Professional Engineers are assessed for competence in the practice areas they have chosen. Practice areas are particular to each CPEng, and may include unique mixes of competencies. The Chartered Professional Engineers’ code of ethical conduct requires that CPEngs work only within their competence, which means they must refuse to undertake any proposed work that lies outside their area of expertise.

Some regulatory authorities specify that certain kinds of work must be carried out or supervised by Chartered Professional Engineers – for example, inspections of moving machinery through the Occupational Safety and Health Service, and certification of the integrity of structures under the Building Act.

While the majority of, if not all, engineers will have to complete some form of exam to prove their competence, there are also agreements in place to enable the engineer to advance to CPEng quicker. You can find more information on this here, or you can contact ipenz@ipenz.org.nz.

With a buoyant market providing plenty of opportunities for Engineers with the right qualifications, New Zealand is a great destination for those already practicing in other countries and might want a change of scenery. We hope that our guide to the recognition of overseas qualifications has helped you out, and we’re more than happy to assist you further. If you’re interested in moving to New Zealand to work, feel free to get in touch with us here at Beyond Recruitment.