NZRAB Media Statement

Senior architects from New Zealand can now become registered architects in Japan under a new fast track registration arrangement which also allows senior architects from Japan to more easily become registered architects in New Zealand.

The access arrangement has been negotiated under the APEC Architect Framework. The signatories are the Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; the Japan APEC Architect Project Monitoring Committee; the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB) and the New Zealand APEC Architect Monitoring Committee.

Normally for a Japanese architect to become a New Zealand Registered Architect the applicant has to have his or her academic qualifications assessed in terms of their equivalence, have worked for an extended period in New Zealand under supervision, and then have been assessed by the NZRAB in terms of his or her architectural skills and knowledge as a whole.

However, from now on, senior Japanese architects who have been awarded the APEC Architect title in Japan can be registered in New Zealand by a much simpler and quicker procedure which just involves testing their knowledge of aspects of architecture specific to New Zealand.

An equivalent fast-track procedure will apply for New Zealand APEC Architects wishing to become registered architects (1st-class Kenchikushi) in Japan.

NZRAB Chairman Ron Pynenburg commented: “This agreement helps the brightest and the best of New Zealand’s architects to contribute globally and then to bring back to New Zealand their international experiences. This is a first for the NZRAB and we will pursue similar arrangements with other Pacific Rim economies in the future.”

To view the agreement and for further information, go to http://www.nzrab.org.nz/default.aspx?page=105 or contact:

Ron Pynenburg
NZRAB Chair
04 916 2201
or
Paul Jackman
NZRAB Chief Executive
04 471 1336, 021 280 0197

Attachment: Memorandum JNZ final July 2009 signed.pdf