Living and Working in New Zealand as a Chartered Surveyor
- Jen Lemen
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
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What is this blog about?
In this week's blog, we hear from Property Elite consultant, and Chartered Building Surveyor & Director at Prendos New Zealand, Mike Woods BSc (Hons) PGCert FRICS. He tells us about how he moved with his family to New Zealand and continued his career as a Chartered Surveyor. We also look at how you can become MRICS whilst living and working in New Zealand.
Mike is a Chartered Building Surveyor with over 18 years industry experience. Formerly from Wales where he gained an undergraduate degree in Building Surveying and a post grad certificate in Built Environment Studies, Mike began carving his career path by first gaining AssocRICS through the residential survey and valuation pathway and Registered Valuer status going on to full membership via the Building Surveying pathway.
Mike was a director of a firm of surveyors and estate agents where he gained multi-panel appointments for valuations and provided a broad range of services including heritage building surveys, Homebuyer surveys, mortgage valuations, dilapidations and condition surveys.
In 2022 Mike and his family made the decision to move to New Zealand, Taking a position with Prendos. As an associate of the company, he created and oversees the Graduate development program, a natural inclination borne from his experience as an Assessor, mentor and Counsellor for the RICS APC.
He has undertaken all the modules required for the Diploma in Building Surveying awarded by the New Zealand Institiute of Building Surveyors to both, gain familiarisation with the industry differences presented by a country that has seismic, geothermal and climate considerations vastly different to that of the UK, and to become registered with the NZIBS.
Taking a leading role in the Auckland office, Mike is responsible for overseeing large projects including the Eastern Busway Development, Summerset residential villages and the Tamaki Regeneration project. His services are sought after for reinstatement matters (dilapidations in the UK), Technical Due Diligence and post-flood damage assessment.
In his own words, Mike tells us about his move to New Zealand and how he has continued his career as a Chartered Surveyor.
Over to Mike...
As a Chartered Surveyor, the move to New Zealand was relatively straightforward. We worked with an immigration adviser, which made the process smoother, but it’s certainly possible to manage yourself. Tertiary qualifications and professional memberships contribute significantly to the ‘points’ required for a visa.
Most surveyors arrive on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, now issued for five years. Converting this to residency, and later to permanent residency, is easy though it’s worth noting that only licensed advisers can provide immigration advice). We’ve been here just three years and are already permanent residents.
Family and Lifestyle
Schooling has been a real highlight. The children adapted quickly and are thriving in a system that offers a different pace and focus compared to the UK.
Geographically, New Zealand is similar in size to the UK but otherwise very different. It’s long and narrow, stretching across multiple climates. Auckland enjoys a subtropical climate, with winter daytime temperatures rarely below 14–15°C and summer highs around 28–30°C. The South Island, by contrast, experiences everything from sub-zero winters to summer days exceeding 40°C. Humidity in the north can be uncomfortable at times, but the real surprise is the UV intensity, far stronger than in the UK. Sunscreen here starts at SPF 50, and you’ll need it.
With a population of just 5 million, 1.5 million live in Auckland, the country feels far less congested. Online retail is a far smaller thing, you’ll not find amazon or eBay here, so malls and shops remain vibrant and busy. But the true treasure is the land itself: dramatic coastlines, native forests, alpine ranges, and marine life everywhere. It’s entirely possible to ski in the morning, hike to a waterfall at midday, and surf in the afternoon. Kiwis have a deep respect for the environment, and it shows.
Work and Professional Practice
Work–life balance is central to Kiwi culture. People work hard but value their downtime just as much. Interactions are relaxed and everyone is on a first-name basis, formality is rare.
Within Building Surveying, services are more commercially driven, with the majority of work involving commercial and industrial property. Residential surveying tends to be focused on investigating defective construction, often within a legal context, as local authorities can be held liable for negligence. The stand of residential construction can be surprising to those from the UK, but understood when you consider that New Zealand had no formal building regulations until 1992.
Surveying as a profession has its roots in the UK, and while many practices feel familiar, there are also significant differences. The profession is highly regarded here, but there is no dedicated university degree in Building Surveying, most practitioners have come from overseas. That said, this is beginning to change, with tertiary education pathways now emerging. The RICS is well respected among employers, and the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors (NZIBS) continues to strengthen its standing, having passed its 30 year anniversary. The NZIBS has its own APC process, similar to the RICS, and offers a diploma covering key competencies. Completing the diploma leads to Registration, which is nationally recognised. I undertook the diploma myself to accelerate my understanding of New Zealand practice.
The RICS in New Zealand
The RICS assessment process is broadly the same as in the UK; the same pathways, guides, and assessment structure. As global professional standards continue to expand, much of the RICS guidance is directly relevant here. Candidate numbers are smaller, partly due to population size and partly because many Chartered Surveyors are immigrants. Nevertheless, the profession is respected, and the opportunities to apply UK training and experience are considerable.
I was recently awarded Fellowship. I applied in January of this year and the near 7 month application process highlights a key difference in the APAC region. Apparently the assessment was delayed due to circumstance of the assessors - there is much smaller pool of assessors in the region and hence significant delays in processing time.
Recognition of Professional Qualifications (RPQ) in New Zealand
RICS runs the RPQ application process to allow surveyors with a recognised qualification to apply directly for AssocRICS or MRICS.
We have briefly summarised below which New Zealand qualifications are eligible for RPQ. For each individual qualification, there are various requirements that applicants must meet. Thus, make sure you read the RICS guidance before applying,
New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors (NZIBS)
New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) / Survey and Spatial New Zealand (S+SNZ)
New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS)
Property Institute of New Zealand (PINZ)
Valuers Registration Board of New Zealand (VRBNZ)
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Stay tuned for our next blog post to help build a better you.
N.b. Nothing in this article constitutes legal, professional or financial advice.
