Latest NZRAB News

• John Chaplin 21 November 1950 – 9 November 202512 November 2025

  The Board wishes to acknowledge the passing of John Chaplin.

  John was one of our senior architects who has made a valuable contribution to the profession in his service to the Board as a registration assessor for more than 20 years and more recently as a member of the Architects Services Advisory Panel. Always willing to do what was needed when called upon but was also a person who put his hand up to help, John would embrace each task with commitment and enthusiasm. 

  John’s life was marked with professional service across the building industry. He became an architect through the Architects Education Registration Board (AERB) Special Examination process in 1994, having previously been a founding member of the NZ Federation of Architectural Designers. Once registered he became a member of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) and in 1994 was elected to the Canterbury Branch committee and became the Branch Chairman in 2004. He was made a Fellow in 2007 and in 2012 received the NZIA President’s Award for services to the Canterbury Branch membership during the earthquake recovery. 2004 also saw him being appointed to the NZIA National Council and becoming an assessor for the AERB, remaining an assessor when the AERB transitioned to the NZRAB in 2006. In 2007 he was appointed a design assessor for the Licenced Building Practitioners program. He was involved with the NZ Institute of Building becoming a Southern Chapter Board member in 2008.

  John freely shared his knowledge and experience. The NZRAB has been grateful to John for his collegiality, his support of fellow assessors and his advice. His approach to assessments, Concerns and Complaints was considered, fair and clear. He would try to get to the nub of the issue and took a strong ethical stance. He was a pleasure to work with.

  John began his career as a draughting cadet with the Ministry of Works in Christchurch in the early 70’s founding John Chaplin Design in 1976. In 2004, he co-founded Chaplin Crooks Architects with Stephen Crooks, who he had worked with since 1999. After retiring in 2018 John enjoyed spending time building and enjoying his Tata Beach property.

  John was an early adapter of technology including the CAD system in 1993-4 and even went so far as to adapt the AutoCAD smart function above and beyond the basic functionality it originally provided. He loved Mac computers so much he began collecting at least one of every model released which included the need to hunt down one of every colour after the Macintosh II was released. The iPhone gave John another avenue of tech gadget to meet two loves, technology and fitness, with many apps helping him track his varied activities. John enjoyed windsurfing, skiing and mountain biking over the years and had recently invested in an electric bike to enable him to keep up with the group on their biking adventures.

  John has left a significant legacy and will be greatly missed. The Board extends its condolences to his wife, Eve, children Amy and Todd, and family.

  Craig O’Connell
  Board Chair

• Architectural Career Breaks4 September 2025

  Architecture + Women NZ are currently undertaking a research survey on architectural career breaks. Have you taken a career break in architecture? Then the A+W NZ want to hear from you. Whether you're returning, navigating re-entry, or still on a break, your experience matters. This survey is for anyone who has taken an extended break from their architectural career — for parental leave, further study, or any other circumstances. The survey link is here and closes on 27 September. Any questions about this research should be directed to A+W NZ.

• Schedule NZ Consultation Feedback28 July 2025

  Now that the various Schedule NZ consultation meetings have concluded, here is a summary of the feedback provided to the Board for consideration from the in-person meetings held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. We’ve also formulated a FAQs Sheet to address some of the professional concerns raised during the engagement process.

  In terms of ‘what’s next’, here’s a breakdown of the project timeline — noting these dates are subject to change:

  August 2025 — Writing Draft Schedule NZ Explanatory Notes (SNZ—ENs)
  September 2025 — Reviewing Draft SNZ—ENs
  October 2025 — Draft SNZ—ENs presented to NZRAB Board for approval and further consultation as required
  November 2025 — SNZ—ENs published

  Your views are important and it’s not too late to have your say. The written submission deadline has been extended to 29 August 2025. Additional feedback and any other queries regarding the Schedule NZ document should be emailed to info@nzrab.org.nz with ‘Schedule NZ’ in the subject line.

  Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the consultation feedback are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Board.