If you have an International Surveying qualification, your first step is to contact the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) and / or the Cadastral Surveying Licensing Board (CSLB) to have your qualifications evaluated and to ascertain what they will require in order to gain membership. If additional study is required, the School of Surveying can then design a programme to meet the NZIS or CSLB academic requirements.
Cadastral Licensing Applications from candidates with qualifications not from New Zealand or Australia
4.1 Requirements
If you are a surveyor with qualifications which are not from NZ or Australia and wish to be licensed in NZ you need to satisfy the Board that you meet the Boards competency standards for licensing surveyors described in Standards for Licensing Cadastral Surveyors April 2013. One of the requirements is that you hold an acceptable academic surveying qualification that equates to the Bachelor of Surveying (BSurv) degree at Otago University, New Zealand. The Otago BSurv degree is a 4-year degree that includes a significant component of cadastral surveying, while many overseas degrees are engineering degrees that have surveying as a component and do not meet the Board's requirements.
4.2 Process
The first step is to request the Board to assess your academic qualification against its competencies and standards. You must provide the Board with information about your qualifications and surveying career - including certified copies of degree certificate(s) and registration certificates and, detailed information on the degree course(s) - and a detailed CV. The Board will probably require your degree to be assessed by the Bureau for the Assessment of Overseas Qualifications (BAOQ). This is done at your cost - about $300.
If your academic qualification is acceptable to the Board, the Board will advise you what further work you need to undertake to complete the Board's requirements for the issue of a licence. This will be assessed on an individual basis but will probably include some practical experience in cadastral surveying in NZ (up to 24 months) and completing the NZ Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) Cadastral Law examination. You might also be required to complete the cadastral component of the NZIS Professional Entrance examinations. You can find information on these examinations on NZIS website, Professional Entrance Exams. However, before undertaking any of these examinations you should wait until after your academic qualifications have been assessed and you have received the Board's decision.
If your degree is not acceptable to the Board you will need to complete a surveying degree acceptable to the Board, and complete practical and written requirements as specified by the Board. You should negotiate any credits for passes in other degree courses directly with the educational institution concerned. After the Board has approved your academic qualification and you have completed any other requirements set by the Board you should apply for your licence using Form 4, Applicants with non accredited qualifications Application for a Licence to Undertake Cadastral Surveys - Form 4 . Applications are usually considered at the next Board meeting following receipt of the application.
The following two relevant links may also be useful. The first is a publication re the Council for Reciprocating Survey Boards of Au/NZ setting out guidelines for academic qualification for obtaining Cadastral Licences. The second relates to competencies for Cadastral Licensing.
Attributes of Surveying Degrees: Australia and New Zealand - November 2013
Guidelines for Obtaining a Licence to undertake Cadastral Surveys in New Zealand