Australian licence holders
If you’re an Australian building practitioner and want to work in New Zealand you will need to have a current LBP licence to undertake restricted building work. If you have an Australian licence that is equivalent, then TTMRA might be right for you.
In New Zealand, restricted building work must be carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner (LBP).
Restricted building work (RBW) is the design and construction of the structure and weathertightness aspects of houses and apartment buildings.
Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition application
A person holding an Australian State design or trade related licence can apply for a New Zealand licence under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 (TTMRA). This works on the basis that an Australian State builders licence is equivalent to a New Zealand Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) licence.
Not all Australian licences correspond to a New Zealand licence. If you have an Australian design or trade related licence its important to check the table below before you apply under TTMRA.
Licences likely to be accepted under mutual recognition
The following list provides an indication of the Australian State licences which the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have assessed as covering activities that are equivalent or substantially the same as a form of Licensed Building Practitioner licence for the purposes of mutual recognition.
Note this is a guide to what is likely to be acceptable. There may be circumstances where the applicant may hold the licence listed but not be eligible for mutual recognition.
Examples include where the applicant
- has conditions or limitations on their licence that significantly limit the scope of activities that can be conducted under the licence
- does not hold a current Australian state licence as at the time of application
- makes false statements with their application.
New South Wales
| Registration/licence | Licensed Building Practitioner licence that may equate to the Australian state licence |
|---|---|
| Bricklaying licence | LBP Bricklaying and Blocklaying in the two areas of practice:
|
| Carpentry licence | LBP Carpentry licence |
| General concreting licence | LBP Foundation licence in area of practice
|
| Roof slating licence | LBP Roofing licence in area of practices as follows:
|
| Roof tiling licence | LBP Roofing licence in area of practices as follows:
|
| Wet plastering licence | LBP External Plastering licence in area of practice 1: Solid plastering |
| Underpinning/piering | LBP Foundation licence in area of practice 2: Concrete or timber pile foundation |
Tasmania
| Registration/licence | Licensed Building Practitioner licence that may equate to the Australian state licence |
|---|---|
| Architectural - Restricted | LBP Design licence in area of practice 2: Category 1 & 2 buildings |
| Architectural - Limited | LBP Design licence in area of practice 1: Category 1 buildings |
| Architectural - Domestic | LBP Design licence in area of practice 1: Category 1 buildings |
Queensland
| Australian state registration/licence | Licensed Building Practitioner licence that may equate to the Australian state licence |
|---|---|
| Design Licence Low rise | LBP Design licence in area of practice 2: Category 1 & 2 buildings |
| Design Licence Medium rise | LBP Design licence in area of practice 2: Category 1 &2 buildings |
| Design Licence Open rise | LBP Design licence in area of practice 3: Category 1, 2 & 3 buildings |
| Bricklaying and Blocklaying | LBP Bricklaying and Blocklaying in the two areas of practice: 1: Veneer 2: Structural masonry |
| Concreting Trade Licence | LBP Foundations licence: 1: Concrete foundation walls and concrete slab-on-ground; 2: Concrete or timber pile foundation |
| Carpentry | LBP Carpentry licence. There may be conditions imposed on the licence holder in relation to undertaking concrete foundation work |
| Carpentry and Foundations licence | LBP Carpentry licence |
| Foundation Work (Piling and Anchors | LBP Foundations licence in the following areas of practice: 1: Concrete foundation walls and concrete slab-on-ground; 2: Concrete or timber pile foundation There may be conditions placed on the licence holder that they may not undertake concrete slabs-on-ground unless they are competent to do so. |
| Plastering Solid | LBP External Plastering licence the following areas of practice: 1: Solid plastering 2: Proprietary Plaster Cladding Systems (PPCS) |
| Roof and Wall Cladding | LBP Roofing licence in area of practices as follows: 2: Profiled Metal Roof and/or Wall Cladding 3: Metal Tile Roof |
| Roof Tiling | LBP Roofing licence in area of practices as follows: 1: Concrete or Clay Tile Roof 7: Shingle or Slate Roof |
Victoria
| Registration/licence | Licensed Building Practitioner licence that may equate to the Australian state licence |
|---|---|
| Domestic Builder Unlimited | LBP Carpentry licence |
| Domestic Builder Limited (C) – Carpentry Domestic Builder Limited (J) – Sub Floor works Domestic Builder Limited (O) – Floor slabs & Footings Domestic Builder Limited (I) – External Cladding to a home |
LBP Carpentry licence |
| Domestic Builder Limited (K) –Improvements to Roof |
Roofing area of practice 1 – Concrete or clay tile roof and/or Roofing area of practice 7 – Shingle and slate roof |
| Domestic Builder Limited (W) - Waterproofing |
Roofing area of practice 4, 5 and/or 6 |
| Domestic Builder Limited (W) – Waterproofing Domestic Builder Limited (K) – Improvements to Roof |
Roofing areas of practice 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 |
| Domestic Builder Limited (J) Sub Floor works Domestic Builder Limited (O) Floor slabs & footings |
LBP Foundations licence Areas of Practice 1 and 2 |
| Domestic Builder Limited (O) Floor slabs and footings |
Foundations licence– Area of practice 1 |
| Draftsperson, class of Building Design (architectural) | Design Area of practice 3 |
| Domestic Builder Limited (H) Brickwork |
LBP Bricklaying and Blocklaying in the two areas of practice:
|
Multiple licences
In New Zealand an LBP Carpentry licence holder does not need to gain a roofing licence to install a profiled metal roofing or a foundation licence in order to install foundations.
Licences not listed
If your licence is not listed on the approved list you may still be eligible for mutual recognition if the activities you are authorised to do under your Australian licence are substantially the same or equivalent as the LBP licence you are applying for.
Licensed Building Practitioner Rules has the activities listed in the competencies under a LBP licence.
Site management licences
The following licences are not considered mutually equivalent.
- Queensland Builders licences – low rise, medium rise and open
- ACT – Class A builder (unlimited), Class B builder (medium rise), Class C builder (low rise), Class D builder
- South Australia – Building Work Contractor, Building Work Supervisor
- Western Australia – Registered Building Practitioner
The reasons these licences are not accepted under mutual recognition are:
- Only a licence which permits a person to do restricted building work qualifies under the mutual recognition scheme
- the main site management activities covered by these licences are not restricted building work so are not covered by the mutual recognition scheme.
While some activities between the LBP trade licences (which enable a person to do restricted building work) and these types of licence may be similar, this is only a minor component of these licences. Mutual recognition requires that activities under mutually recognised licences must be ‘substantially the same’ or ‘equivalent’.