Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue with the application process for Pathway 2 registration through the New Zealand Registered Architects Board. I have come across a discrepancy between the minimum work experience requirements stated on the NZRAB website and the actual work experience of the successful applicants to the Qualifications and Experience Assessment (QEAP).

https://www.nzrab.nz/c/Alt-Pathway-2/__2...

The minimum practical experience required for Pathway 2 is stated as 9,750 hours (5 years), with at least 3,150 hours being spent in the practice of architecture in New Zealand. Directly conflicting with this, data provided by the NZRAB in a recent OIA request shows that successful QEAP applicants from 2013-2020 had an average work experience of 14.85 years. This is an almost 10-year difference.

I believe this significant difference in experience time between the described requirements for applications, and the recorded data of successful applicants is misleading to applicants who have to pay a fee to be assessed.

Therefore, I would like to request that MBIE answers the following questions:

- How is MBIE monitoring and checking that the NZRAB and its obligations under the Registered Architects Act 2005 are being upheld, and in particular ensuring that they are administering the reasons why or why not someone is eligible for registration without discrimination?

- Is MBIE satisfied that the NZRAB is not discriminatory towards its applicants for registration, and what processes are in place in the NZRAB to ensure this

- Is MBIE satisfied that the NZRAB Architects register reflects the multicultural and gender-diverse society of NZ, yes please provide statistics and if not please clarify and identify this.

- Is the NZRAB required to keep and report on data on the successful and unsuccessful applicants to the Qualifications and Experience Assessment (QEAP)? If not, then why not?

- Is MBIE satisfied that the Pathway 2 process is correctly represented on the NZRAB website and that the application process ensures transparency for all applicants?

Thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to hearing back from you.

Yours faithfully,

L . K. Harris