How to get Design Advice

The first point to note is there is no such person as "a designer". To be effective, a practitioner must be discipline specific. The challenge is to find a practitioner in the market, competent to do the job in a timely, ethical and economic manner.

It is recommended that practitioners who are members of a recognised Professional Association are considered first. All New Zealand recognised Associations operate within a Code of Professional Ethics, and in most cases, are willing to assist with information and if necessary, intervention.

To avoid misunderstandings when just seeking advice, inquirers should make their intentions clear to the practitioner, indicating what stage the project is at, such as "only thinking about it at this time but would appreciate your general opinion – which I accept is without responsibility". The reason for this suggestion is that there have been cases where a professional made an off the cuff comment, trying to be neighbourly, and which resulted in legal proceedings.

If a practitioner offers to "think it over and get back to you", you should inquire if there will be a charge, and accept or decline. Again there have been cases where want seems like a friendly offer to help, turns into an invoice to pay and for which there may or not be value.

Likewise, it is not a good idea to try to get free advice, with encouraging statements to the practitioner and for which there is no intention to honour.

The following is a list of relatively common design disciplines with a small selection of the types of work undertaken. It is for guidance only, it does not include for statutory Registered Architects and Chartered Engineers who should be contacted directly for their professional advice and guidance. They can be reached at the following respective websites:
www.architectsnz.org.nz
www.ipenz.org.nz
The Association of Consulting Engineers is at www.acenz.org.nz
and another statutory body; the Registered Engineering Associates Board is at www.engineering-associates.org.nz

Practitioner type		Examples of work undertaken
Building design practitioners (aka "Architectural Designers")
	Level 1 *	lower to mid price range residences
	Level 2 *	light commercial, warehouses mid to upper price range residences
	Level 3 *	commercial, shopping centres office towers, apartment blocks, mansions, complexes, superior sub-divisions
* Refers broadly to the Licensed Building Practitioner Programme www.dbh.govt.nz/lbp
Spacial design practitioners		Interior layout of amenities for offices, shops, public facilities, residences etc, creating the desired ambience through colour and texture. Planned acoustics, audio and visual information schemes, use of lighting, ergonomics
Landscape practitioners		Layout according to terrain, soil type, climate, location, selection of species, cultivation, propagation, watering, weed-control, walk-ways, construction and maintenance
Civil engineering practitioners		soil drainage, retaining structures, non reticulated sanitary systems, potable water systems, agricultural, horticultural, viticultural, silvicultural watering systems, dairy effluent systems,roading, storm water control systems, quarrying
Structural engineering practitioners		Earthquake protection, retro-strengthening, seismic investigations, un-reinforced and reinforced structures, load bearing elements, bearing elements
Geotechnic practitioners		earth works investigations, sub-strata mapping, load capacity of soil profile
Mechanical engineering practitioners		devising mechanisms, machine tools, special-purpose machines, product development, production methodology
Electrical engineering practitioners		generation, distribution and reticulation of high voltage and heavy current systems, appliances, drives, switch-gear
Electronics engineer practitioner		data manipulation systems, data collection and decimation systems, solid state systems, robotics, mechatronics
Communications engineering practitioner		telephonic systems, television cable and line of sight transmission, satellite management, internet development
Computer engineering practitioners		software authoring, mainframe development, portable and personal adaptations, network development
Waterworks engineering practitioner		catchment management, purification, storage. Trunk pipeline installation, maintenance, reservoirs, and aquifers safety
Marine engineering practitioner		construction and fit-out of fresh-water craft, ocean-going vessels, harbours, navigable waterways facilities, steam, electric, nuclear, diesel propulsion
Aeronautics engineering practitioners		Air-frame development, construction, engine systems, avionics, hydraulic, electrical and electronic systems
Automotive engineering practitioner		2-stroke, 4 stroke petrol and diesel engine systems, electronics and electrics, chassis and monocoque construction, transmissions, running gear, brakes, steering systems
Building services engineering practitioners		air-conditioning, refrigeration, water control and sanitation, lifts, fire control systems, external access, facilities for maintenance
Production engineering practitioner		Production planning, production control, plant maintenance, health and safety, mass, batch and job systems, logistics, quality management, product and materials control
Product (industrial) designers		Development of new or improved merchandise, use of modeling, trials and testing