NZIQS Conference 2004

We have received 10 emails and letters commenting on the excellent value of the event especially topic & presentation by all speakers and the workshop. There were 19 students and 7 other first time attendee members who enjoyed the occasion which is promising for the future.

However, some thought-provoking figures - Attendance - 48 members, 12 student non-members, 2 staff, 2 Engineers. By Branch attendance - Auckland 20 including 12 from city, Wellington 22 including 12 from city, Canterbury - 4 and Otago 2. A total of 5.7% of NZ based members attended.

Further information and photos will be displayed on the website soon - with briefs on members honoured. (If you have a memorable photograph please forward to NZIQS office for (vetting and) display).

Tax depreciation issues paper released - 12 July 2004

Revenue Minister Michael Cullen today welcomed the publication of an issues paper inviting consultation on how to improve the tax rules on depreciation of assets. "I am concerned that the current economic depreciation rates may not accurately reflect the reality of economic life in a time of rapidly advancing technology. If they do not, they may have a disincentive effect on the level of capital investment and may be biased in favour of long-term investments such as rental housing and against short-term investments such as high tech machinery.

The paper is the first step in the policy making process. It suggests ways of reducing possible tax biases and resolving practical problems with the application of the rules. Officials will draw up recommendations based on the feedback received. The closing date for submissions on the smaller technical issues is 31 August.

The closing date for submissions on the larger issues i.e.;

• methods of calculating depreciation for plant, equipment and buildings;
  
• depreciation loadings; and
  
• the extent to which owners of rental property should be able to separate out structural components of a building and depreciate them at separate rates; is 30 September.

Repairs and maintenance to the tax depreciation rules is available at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz and www.treasury.govt.nz

Kiwis have their say on work-life balance Government consultation report 12 July 2004

Most Kiwis like the idea, but achieving a balanced life isn't always easy, according to a report released today by Associate Labour Minister Ruth Dyson. The report, Achieving Balanced Lives and Employment - what New Zealanders are saying about work-life balance, summarises the consultations that a Work-Life Balance Project team recently completed. According to the Report main barriers preventing people from achieving work-life balance are:

• Lack of access to quality, affordable childcare to suit working parents
• Difficulty for those on low hourly wage rates, who need to work long hours to earn enough income to support their families
• Undervaluing of caring and voluntary work
• Long hours and physically or mentally intensive work, without sufficient recovery time
• "Precarious" employment arrangements
• Lack of workplace policies and unsupportive workplace cultures
• Pressures on small employers to "do everything" in the business, which impacts on their own work-life balance, and their ability to think about work-life balance for staff
• The need for government to lead by example.

Download report from website www.dol.govt.nz/worklife/

OSH Statement 13 July 2004

The Occupational Safety and Health Service investigated 60 workplace deaths in the year to 30 June 2004. This includes the deaths of 13 bystanders or visitors to workplaces.

This year's provisional final figure of 60 fatalities is in line with numbers in recent years (2001-02: 73 fatalities, 2002-03: 73 fatalities). However, the number of fatalities investigated by OSH is not an accurate or reasonable indicator of trends over time, nor are they an accurate guide to levels of safety in the workplace.

The death or injury of a worker can have a massive financial cost, of which possible fines are a small component. The loss of productivity through the person's lost skills and experience, and the negative effect on the wider workforce are only some of the downstream consequences.

Fatalities by type of work (Deaths from occupational illness are not included in this figure.)

Construction - "One feature of this year's construction figures is there are only two deaths from falls," says Mike Cosman. While obviously we want to get that down to zero, the low number is pleasing." Falls in the construction industry have also been the focus of a first-ever trans Tasman workplace safety campaign this year, involving hundreds of visits to construction sites around New Zealand and Australia. Data from the visits will be released in early August. Australian research shows that most fatal falls are from heights of five metres or less.

Standards NZ - New Edition of Standard - Plywood Structural

SNZ has replaced an earlier version of this standard (dated 1994) with a new Standard - AS/NZ 2296:2004 Plywood - Structural. This Standard specifies requirements for the manufacture, grading, finishing and branding of structural plywood.

Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996

The Ministry for the Environment is seeking submissions on proposals to improve the management of hazardous substances under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996.

The suggested proposals are for streamlining the application process for hazardous substances and improving compliance, enforcement and communication. Other proposals cover the rules on moving specialty substances between research institutions and the workability of exposure limit controls for substances that are toxic to human and animal health and to the environment........The proposed changes are set out in a two-volume discussion paper available on the Ministry's website at www.mfe.govt.nz

Conferences & Seminars

For NZIQS Branch events and NZIQS-accredited CPD events see www.nziqs.co.nz

Commercial Contracts - Negotiating, drafting & Managing by Conferenz

Wellington 6 & 7 Sept Auckland 9 & 10 Sept 2004 see www.conferenz.co.nz

NZ Property Institute Conference - Queenstown - 22/23 July -www.property.org.nz

Rethinking Construction -The Impact of buildings on the Environment - CIOB Australia - Melbourne 17 Aug & Sydney 31 Aug 2004. see events@ciob.org.au

Defective Construction - Rights & Remedies - Wellington 3 & 4 August, Auckland 10 & 11 August 2004 Tomas Kennedy-Grant - register@apptechgroups.com

NZIQS Membership

New applications for membership continue to arrive as do applications for Registered Quantity Surveyor award.

Following next weeks Council meeting I expect the membership to be 955 including 6 Honorary members, 234 student members, 41 members on probation and 44 Retired members; therefore there are 632 qualified NZIQS members in NZ and overseas.