Background
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is
an inter-government grouping for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade
and investment in the Asia-Pacific region .
Unlike the WTO or other multilateral trade bodies,
APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants. Decisions
made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments are
undertaken on a voluntary basis.
As part of this, the
APEC Architect Framework has been
created. The aim is to facilitate the mobility of architects providing
architectural services throughout the APEC region.
While not well known in
New Zealand, in
a number of member economies being an APEC Architect carries significant
prestige.
New Zealand
Registered Architects who are principals of architectural practices that do
business around the
Pacific Rim should
seriously consider becoming APEC Architects.
Furthermore, within the APEC Architect framework participating economies are able to negotiate bilateral arrangements which fast track registration for APEC Architects wishing to be registered architects in other APEC economies. New Zealand has these arrangements with Japan and Singapore and more are planned.
Criteria
An APEC Architect is a
person who is registered, licensed or otherwise professionally recognised as an
architect in a participating economy, and whose name is enrolled on a section
of the APEC Architect Register maintained by that economy.
For information on what is required to be an APEC Architect go here.
Members
The following economies are members:
-
Australia
-
Canada
-
People’s Republic of
China
-
Hong Kong
-
Japan
-
Republic
of
Korea
-
Malaysia
-
Mexico
-
New
Zealand
-
Republic
of
Philippines
-
Singapore
-
Chinese
Taipei
-
Thailand
-
United
States of America
.
Japan New Zealand bilateral
On 14 July 2009, New Zealand signed
a APEC Architect Memorandum of Cooperation with Japan. This means New Zealand APEC Architects
are entitled to registration in Japan subject only to a test that
examines their knowledge of aspects of the architectural process in
Japan that are exclusive to that economy. The same applies to Japanese
APEC architects wishing to be registered in New Zealand.
For more information go here.
Singapore Australia New Zealand trilateral
On 10 October 2010, New Zealand and Australia signed
with Singapore an APEC Architect Trilateral Agreement on Reciprocal Recognition of Registered Architects in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. This means New Zealand and Australian APEC Architects
are entitled to registration in Singapore subject only to a test that
examines their knowledge of aspects of the architectural process in Singapore that are exclusive to that economy. The same applies to Singaporean APEC architects wishing to be registered in New Zealand or Australia.
For more information go here
Chinese Taipei New Zealand bilateral
On 3 October 2012, New Zealand signed
a APEC Architect Bilateral Arrangement with Chinese Taipei. This means New Zealand APEC Architects
are entitled to registration in Chinese Taipei subject only to a test that
examines their knowledge of aspects of the architectural process in
Japan that are exclusive to that economy. The same applies to Chinese Taipei
APEC architects wishing to be registered in New Zealand.
For more information go here.
Administration
In each economy an APEC
Architect Monitoring Committee administers the procedures for registration in
that economy. To contact the New Zealand Committee email info@nzrab.org.nz or call 04 471 1336.
To view the New Zealand APEC Architect Register go here.
For the application
form to be a New Zealand APEC Architect, go here.
For information on the secretariat for the APEC Architect Project,
which administers the project as a whole, go here
.