IPENZ head to give public lecture at the University of Canterbury

September 12 2014

Dr Kevin Thompson, the president of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ), will give the University of Canterbury’s annual Hopkins lecture next week.

Dr Thompson will give a public lecture on campus on September 17 about the accountability of professional engineers to the communities they serve.

He will discuss the characteristics of professions, codes of ethical behaviour within a profession and their principal objective of benefitting society.

He will describe the role of IPENZ as the engineering professional body, the Chartered Professional Engineers Registration Authority and the strengths and shortcomings of the current regime.

He says moves are now under way by the Government to strengthen powers regulating engineers in some disciplines and activities in response to the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission recommendations, with the consultation document release last week by Minister of Building and Construction, Dr Nick Smith.

``We want assurance that our engineers are competent in their areas of practice and that they are accountable. Our regulatory regime needs strengthening. Currently there is no legislative requirement for practising engineers to be Chartered or to be IPENZ members, requiring them to follow the code of ethics and meet competence standards,’’ Dr Thompson says.

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