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catzohm Mar 30th 2007 3:21 pm

Gas
 
Hello people.

Can anyone out there shed any light on the domestic gas industry? I know that gas fitters are on the long term skills shortage list and C & G qualifications are recognised, but what about ACS assessments, and are there NZ equivalents that have to be undertaken? Also how extensive is the gas industry, what is the main gas (family 1, 2 or 3) and range of appliances etc and, are gas fitters allowed to undertake plumbing work?

Cheers:thumbup:

BEVS Mar 31st 2007 1:16 am

Re: Gas
 
Hi there Catzohm.

This will have to be a quick post. I will elaborate on the riveting topic of plumbing and gasfitting NZ style after the weekend if needs be.

To begin ............

Gasfitting is not on the Long-Term Shortages list. Plumbing is but not gasfitting.
Gasfitting is on the Immediate Shortage List.

This is a quote from a post made by Beaudixon Jan 19th 07 :-


all occupations on the immediate shortages list only entitle you to apply for a work visa (usually for the max 3yrs) renewal after 3yrs if occupation still on list.
if occupation on the long term shortages list the you can apply for PR or work visa.
Any UK plumbing and gasfitting qualifications are only PART recognised.
That doesn't stop you coming to NZ and working at the trade and it doesn't stop NZIS New Zealand Immigration Service acknowledging that you are UK skilled and qualified, once your credentials are checked , BUT you will not be seen as fully qualified or skilled once arrived in NZ until you pass exams and practical assessments.

Yes. City and Guilds 1 and 2 advanced will prove that you are skilled in the trade . So will NVQs. You should also have around 5years current work experience . They do like time-served apprenticeships and hands-on ,on the job training.
For gasfitting you need to show ACS modules , current work experience and a CORGI registration card.

All plumbing and gasfitting here in NZ is done under license There is a trade board which regulates the trade. It is the PGDB .Click on the link and have a good read please.
You would work under a limited licence at first until you pass registration exams. These are seperate registrations for gas, plumbing and drainlaying. You will see once you look at the PGDB website.

There has been a move towards competance based gas licenses. It is a bit similar to the ACS modules....sort of..... Again you will see details on the PGDB website.

You can work at plumbing under a limited licence. The work would be supervised and signed off by an NZ registered plumber.
This would be the same for your gasfitting until you pass the NZ registration exams.

The PGDB would assess your UK qualifications before stating whether they will allow you to become registered. If they feel the qualifications do not match the standard, they may require further training to gain their National Certificate as well as registration examination.

For proving your skill to New Zealand Immigration Service you would have your UK qualifications and experience assessed by the PGDB anyway. So doing this would be your very first step towards working at this trade in NZ.

There is reticulated natural gas on the North Island NZ. Outside of this those that wish to have gas for whatever reason use lpg gas bottles, though there is some reticulated lpg gas around.

Link to Gas Assocation

another link OnGas which might give a little insight.

Electric cookers are more the norm here.
Gas central heating is sparse. Woodburners and heat pumps and more popular.
There has been a bit of a drive for gas fires, however the population prefers its wood burners and electric heat pumps.
You do see instant hot water heaters.

Please note that you must work for an employer and cannot become self-employed until you not only pass registration exams but also craftsman papers including a business exam. Again , details can be seen on the PGDB site. There are also examples of the exams which you should look at . The questions in the gas registration exams will tell you something of the gas trade here.

catzohm Apr 6th 2007 7:10 pm

Re: Gas
 
Hi BEV's Here

Thanks for the info, got my lists mixed up re:the long term skills etc, but PR not a problem if we decide to come as MBH is a nurse so she would be principal applicant. We need to get over for a look around which hopefully would be next year, but at the moment we fancy the top end of South Island (Nelson/Malborough) so that pretty much seems to knock gas in the head. Can you shed any light on making a crust as a plumber out there? e.g as you say, couldn't be self-employed so what are the prospects like when working for someone else? Also, what the situation regarding central heating, many posts moan about cold, damp houses but no-one seems to mention home improvement, is the kit not available/too costly? what about oil fired or solid fuel systems again they don't seem to get a mention. I had a look at the links you provided, the gas exams seem to be fairly straightfoward, would just need to get my head around the NZ specific stuff, but not sure if it would be worth the hassle/cost if gas is as limited as it seems.

3 seadogs Apr 7th 2007 8:55 am

Re: Gas
 

Originally Posted by catzohm (Post 4582720)
Hello people.

Can anyone out there shed any light on the domestic gas industry? I know that gas fitters are on the long term skills shortage list and C & G qualifications are recognised, but what about ACS assessments, and are there NZ equivalents that have to be undertaken? Also how extensive is the gas industry, what is the main gas (family 1, 2 or 3) and range of appliances etc and, are gas fitters allowed to undertake plumbing work?

Cheers:thumbup:

hi catzohm. i am a corgi registered gas fitter living on the south island with my family, i don't have any plumbing qualifications but that didn't seem to matter at interviews. as far as work goes here there is a lot of interest in solar hot water, there is a fair amount of gas work mostly hobs, fires and water heaters. don't expect to earn a fortune ($20-$25 an hour) not a lot when you convert that into pounds and i could write a whole chapter about the so-called cheap cost of living out here. another downside of being a plumber here is having to crawl under houses as most are built on piles or working in the roof space when the sun is beating down, try sitting in your oven at 45 degrees to get the effect, sorry to be a bit negative but i wish i had a few facts before coming here. having said that it's still a great country especially if you have kids and enjoy the outdoor life. if you have any questions i'd be happy to reply to them.

RedMonsk Apr 7th 2007 11:58 am

Re: Gas
 
Hi, I was wondering if anyone out there has any information on the prospects of being a carpenter in NZ. OH is a qualified cabinet maker - we will probably be looking at the Kapiti or Porirua area.

BEVS Apr 27th 2007 1:24 am

Re: Gas
 
LOL Seadogs. Husband now manages to avoid the crawling under houses thing. He now mostly works on new builds.

Nelson and Bays is a great place to live. We can vouch for that. :p

Catzohm

There is not much interest in central heating to be honest. Its not the Kiwi way, though there is perhaps a market among ex-pats. Husband has not come across much call for it in the last three years. Having said that, it is out there.
There is a company in Christchurch that fits oil fired central heating but I cannot remember the name of it off the top of my head.
Maybe interest in it is growing. Double glazing seems more common now than it was three years ago.
Try these people

http://www.heatsmart.co.nz/?gclid=CK...FShWYAodWi_6OA

and see what they suggest or advise. Maybe you'll get a job offer !!

Heat pumps are what many choose to heat their houses in Winter. If its an inverter heat pump , then it cools the houses in summer. Most new build houses will choose this method for their homes.

http://www.hometech.co.nz/what-is-a-heat-pump.asp

Older houses tend to have wood burners. Our house has one. It has what is called a 'wet back' to heat the cylinder water in winter. It would do little else , other than perhaps a towel rail.Other homes have pellet burners which are more efficient I believe.
Your average Kiwi wouldn't give up this method to retrofit central heating. Too expensive for starters. Gas isn't cheap and its a bind when its bottles.
Wood, on the other hand , is readily available . A cord and a half is around $300 for Winter plus there is the chance of free cones, kindling and wood .

To heat other rooms they simply buy oil filled radiators.

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/index

Link to the Building Code. Have a mooch around it. The rules are tightening up , especially with regard to DIY.

There is also a bit of underfloor heating. Either electric or from solar .

Rates for plumbers vary greatly. $17.50 up to $26 - perhaps a little more.

Tim Miller is a plumbing/gas company here in Nelson. Email them & see what they have to say.

You'll find the email addy below , along with some other firms

http://www.ubd.co.nz/business/ac/nel...on/gasfitters/

another

http://www.rockgas.co.nz/

http://www.rockgas.co.nz/7-contact-us.asp

It's perfectly possible for you to earn a crust as a plumber. As with the gas, you will work under a limited licence until you pass your registration exams. It's not legal for anyone to work in the trade, at any form of plumbing no matter how menial, without a licence.
If you work 'doing' gas but also work at plumbing then you need two licences. One for each craft.
For what its worth, I think its worth the effort to get registration , if for nothing else , then you are in a position to ask for a pay rise.
Phil has both registration for gas and plumbing. He says the gas exam is straighforward .

What you would probably find if you come to an all-round trade firm is that you will do some gas and some plumbing.

Not all houses are cold and damp. Rentals can be that way.

Our own house is neither cold nor damp . It has just a wood burner in the lounge area. Many houses are extremely open-plan.
Our house is 30 years old.It has no double glazing but does have insulation in the walls and roof space.

When buying a house or looking for a rental , consider the sun and the surround hills. Makes a world of difference .

sky Apr 27th 2007 5:37 am

Re: Gas
 

Originally Posted by RedMonsk (Post 4611512)
Hi, I was wondering if anyone out there has any information on the prospects of being a carpenter in NZ. OH is a qualified cabinet maker - we will probably be looking at the Kapiti or Porirua area.

Honestly you will have no problems getting employment, carpenters are the builders in NZ as opposed to the brickies being the builders in the uk :)

RedMonsk Apr 27th 2007 8:52 am

Re: Gas
 

Originally Posted by sky (Post 4703604)
Honestly you will have no problems getting employment, carpenters are the builders in NZ as opposed to the brickies being the builders in the uk :)

Thanks and good point. I hadn't really thought of it like that! :blink:

catzohm May 9th 2007 4:26 pm

Re: Gas
 

Originally Posted by BEVS here (Post 4703072)
LOL Seadogs. Husband now manages to avoid the crawling under houses thing. He now mostly works on new builds.

Nelson and Bays is a great place to live. We can vouch for that. :p

Catzohm

There is not much interest in central heating to be honest. Its not the Kiwi way, though there is perhaps a market among ex-pats. Husband has not come across much call for it in the last three years. Having said that, it is out there.
There is a company in Christchurch that fits oil fired central heating but I cannot remember the name of it off the top of my head.
Maybe interest in it is growing. Double glazing seems more common now than it was three years ago.
Try these people

http://www.heatsmart.co.nz/?gclid=CK...FShWYAodWi_6OA

and see what they suggest or advise. Maybe you'll get a job offer !!

Heat pumps are what many choose to heat their houses in Winter. If its an inverter heat pump , then it cools the houses in summer. Most new build houses will choose this method for their homes.

http://www.hometech.co.nz/what-is-a-heat-pump.asp

Older houses tend to have wood burners. Our house has one. It has what is called a 'wet back' to heat the cylinder water in winter. It would do little else , other than perhaps a towel rail.Other homes have pellet burners which are more efficient I believe.
Your average Kiwi wouldn't give up this method to retrofit central heating. Too expensive for starters. Gas isn't cheap and its a bind when its bottles.
Wood, on the other hand , is readily available . A cord and a half is around $300 for Winter plus there is the chance of free cones, kindling and wood .

To heat other rooms they simply buy oil filled radiators.

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/index

Link to the Building Code. Have a mooch around it. The rules are tightening up , especially with regard to DIY.

There is also a bit of underfloor heating. Either electric or from solar .

Rates for plumbers vary greatly. $17.50 up to $26 - perhaps a little more.

Tim Miller is a plumbing/gas company here in Nelson. Email them & see what they have to say.

You'll find the email addy below , along with some other firms

http://www.ubd.co.nz/business/ac/nel...on/gasfitters/

another

http://www.rockgas.co.nz/

http://www.rockgas.co.nz/7-contact-us.asp

It's perfectly possible for you to earn a crust as a plumber. As with the gas, you will work under a limited licence until you pass your registration exams. It's not legal for anyone to work in the trade, at any form of plumbing no matter how menial, without a licence.
If you work 'doing' gas but also work at plumbing then you need two licences. One for each craft.
For what its worth, I think its worth the effort to get registration , if for nothing else , then you are in a position to ask for a pay rise.
Phil has both registration for gas and plumbing. He says the gas exam is straighforward .

What you would probably find if you come to an all-round trade firm is that you will do some gas and some plumbing.

Not all houses are cold and damp. Rentals can be that way.

Our own house is neither cold nor damp . It has just a wood burner in the lounge area. Many houses are extremely open-plan.
Our house is 30 years old.It has no double glazing but does have insulation in the walls and roof space.

When buying a house or looking for a rental , consider the sun and the surround hills. Makes a world of difference .

Sorry it's taken so long to respond (life on the hamster wheel Uk style), and thanks for the info & links, will get round to checking them out if I can fall off the wheel for long enough. By your info and that from 3 seadogs I estimated that for a 40 hour week I could expect around 42-50000$ pa with MBH being a nurse she could expect similar, so that would give us around 84-100000$pa joint, I think that would be more than enough for the lifestyle we're looking for but other posts on this forum seem to suggest that this level of income is barely adequate, grateful for your thoughts on this. To give you some idea, we mostly do outdoor "stuff", walking, swimming, diving, snorkelling and gardening. We like the occaisional meal out and a few beers/wine at weekends, we would have to run two cars however but are not too fussed as long as they are reliable (1-3yr old Honda Civic or similar would do). As for property don't need more than average 3bed, but would like large garden, and semi-rural if affordable.

Thanks

Ps saw an ad for gas fitter in Auckland paying 70k + vehicle + CELLPHONE!,
are mobi's such a big deal over there? However, no interest in Auckland whatsoever.

BEVS May 10th 2007 12:50 am

Re: Gas
 
Yes. Mobis are a big deal out here. husband job comes with a van and a very swish all singing all dancing mobi. Its quite a big deal with the kids too.:p

Your estimate for income is probably close. With regard to income v cost of living , then it really does depend on where you choose to live.

RedMonsk May 10th 2007 8:28 am

Re: Gas
 

Originally Posted by BEVS here (Post 4759300)
With regard to income v cost of living , then it really does depend on where you choose to live.

Where do you think would be cheapest? For instance - Nelson, Wellington or Bay of Plenty? :blink:

Woodlea May 10th 2007 12:10 pm

Re: Gas
 
Try "gasbusters", come in a blue packet, really worked for me I hardly even suffer now, not that it really bothered me, just those around me :)


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