Australian licence holders
Australian-registered building practitioners can apply for a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) licence in New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) occupations principle. This licence allows you to undertake certain critical work on residential buildings, known here as restricted building work (RBW).
A Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) is a recognised occupation in New Zealand that involves carrying out or supervising key aspects of residential building work. This includes the design, construction, or alteration of a building’s primary structure and external moisture-management systems, as well as the design of fire-safety systems in small-to-medium apartment buildings.
This type of work is referred to as restricted building work (RBW). In New Zealand, RBW must be carried out or supervised by an LBP who holds the appropriate licence class. Licence classes include design, carpentry, roofing, brick and block laying, foundations, and external plastering.
If you will be supervised by someone who is an appropriately licensed building practitioner, you don’t have to be licenced yourself.
If you hold a current registration or licence for an occupation that involves carrying out or supervising certain building work in Australia, then you are entitled to apply for an LBP licence to carry out work in New Zealand. You must apply using the process set out in the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 (TTMRA). The occupation for which you are registered in Australia would need to be substantially equivalent to the relevant LBP licence class that you apply for.
Apply for a licence under TTMRA
Apply for a licence
You will need to complete the TTMRA application form.
Portal application
You will need to provide:
- a copy of your current Australian registration(s)/ licence(s)
- a copy of your personal identification
- a passport quality photograph
- a Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 section 19 Notice. This must be completed, signed and dated in the presence of someone who’s authorised to take statutory declarations. A record of your current Australian registration(s)/ licence(s) must be attached.
- a Visa or Mastercard to pay your fee(s)
Paper based application
You will need to provide:
- a copy of your current Australian registration(s)/ licence(s)
- a certified copy of your personal identification
- a verified passport quality photograph
- a Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 section 19 Notice. This must be completed, signed and dated in the presence of someone who’s authorised to take statutory declarations. A record of your current Australian registration(s)/ licence(s) must be attached.
- a Visa or Mastercard to pay your fee(s)
Recognition of Australian licence application form [PDF, 699 KB]
Application costs
All costs are in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
You will need to pay:
- an application fee of $250
- an assessment fee for each class you select
- Carpentry, Bricklaying and Blocklaying, External Plastering, Roofing, or Foundations classes are charged at $127.78 per class
- Design classes are charged at $776.89 per class
What happens next
When we receive your application, we’ll check your registration(s) against the relevant Australian issuing authority’s Register to see if any conditions have been imposed on it and that it is current. The Registrar will grant or refuse your application within one month of receiving it. During that month, you’re considered to be licensed.
If your application for a licence is approved, the Registrar will:
- grant you a licence
- add your name to the public register of licensed building practitioners.
You will receive a letter confirming you have been granted a licence. You will be advised how to access your digital licence.
The Registrar may impose conditions on an New Zealand licence for any of the purposes set out in section 25 of the TTMRA. This could include imposing the same condition registration that applies to the Australian registration/ licence.
Conditions may be imposed to achieve equivalence between the occupation you are registered for in Australia and the Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) occupation in New Zealand. For example, limits may be placed on the scope of work permitted under your New Zealand licence to reflect the areas of practice covered by your Australian registration or licence.
If your application is postponed, refused, or conditions are imposed on your licence, you’ll be informed in writing and given reasons for the decision. You have the right to ask for a review of that decision by applying to the Trans-Tasman Occupations Tribunal.
Trans-Tasman Occupations Tribunal(external link) — Justice New Zealand
The Registrar may postpone or refuse a licence if:
- any of the information provided is false or misleading
- circumstances have changed
- any of the required information has not been provided
- the prescribed fees have not been paid.
If any information provided as part of your application is subsequently found to be false, forged or altered, your application may be cancelled and the appropriate authorities will be informed.
After you are licensed
Once you are granted a licence under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA), you will not be assessed against the New Zealand licence class competencies prior to licensing. However, it is important to understand what your licence authorises you to do.
Each Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) licence class defines the activities and tasks that a practitioner is authorised to carry out in New Zealand. These are outlined in Schedule 1 of the Licensed Building Practitioner Rules.
Consolidated Licensed Building Practitioner rules [PDF, 1.8 MB]
There are seven licence classes, and each (except Carpentry) includes Areas of Practice (AoPs). AoPs are specialised types of work within the class that require specific skills and experience. You may apply for more than one licence class if your Australian registration supports it.
Ongoing obligations
All LBPs, including those licensed under the TTMRA, must comply with:
- the Building Act 2004 and related regulations
- the Code of Ethics for Licensed Building Practitioners
- skills maintenance requirements, including continuing professional development (CPD).