Continuing Professional Development

The NZIF Rules require Registered Members to maintain a regular programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Rules 148.2 and 156 provide for specifying the requirements, types and standards of CPD required for an application to become a Registered Member and ongoing requirements for a Registered Member respectively. The requirements are advised on this NZIF website.

Guide to Updating Member Details and CPD in the NZIF Membership Database here

DEFINITION

CPD is relevant systematic and structured learning that professionals undertake throughout their careers to ensure that they continually maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills. CPD is broadly defined due to the variety of roles and contexts in which members operate and incorporates the concept of life-long learning.

Structured learning is defined as learning which is planned, has identified objectives and has independently authenticated outcomes.

The implications of this definition are that CPD is:

  1. Systematic (i.e. planned with regard to the individual's job, employer's business strategy, client needs and career);
  2. Includes both maintenance of existing knowledge and skills and the development of relevant new ones;
  3. One of the responsibilities of being a professional;
  4. Bound by the principles of adult learning and quality management including the setting of learning objectives and evaluating results, applying outcomes in practice;
  5. Can include learning that occurs on-the-job through research projects etc.
  6. Broader than just technical skills - includes interpersonal skills, business management and other areas that contribute to professional effectiveness.

CPD is Not general reading (e.g. New Zealand Journal of Forestry) as this type of reading generally has a low level of retention.

CPD is to be viewed as something of benefit to the individual member and it is therefore in their interests to participate in CPD opportunities and to record their attendance.

TYPES OF CPD

TYPE I

This can include:

  1. Formal seminars and conferences, including Technical meetings (such as FFR research presentations, MPI technical seminars), NZIF AGM, conferences and Local Section events (other than social events);
  2. Tertiary papers (of relevance);
  3. Short courses (of relevance).

TYPE II :

Examples are:

  1. In-house training courses run by employers, including one on one, provided that the sessions occur at defined times and follow a pre-prepared outline which includes learning objectives;
  2. Authorship of technical articles for publication provided that this involves the assimilation of new learning;
  3. Structured private study and research on a specific topic or problem eg learning new computer programme or new analytical tool, with specific objectives being set, various information sources being explored and documented, and results, conclusions and recommendations being written up;
  4. Original presentations or teaching of a job related nature plus preparation up to three times the length of the actual presentation;
  5. Preparation of forestry standards, technical guidelines and professional submissions;
  6. Serving on NZIF boards, committees, tribunals and other professional roles.

NZIF REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION

The following are the minimum requirements for CPD:

  1. Application for Registration
    A minimum of 60 hours in the three years ending prior to the Members application for registration. The minimum requirement shall include at least 30 hours of Type I CPD.
  2. Minimum Annual Requirements for Registered Member
    A minimum of ten hours of CPD in any calendar year while a member is registered;
  3. Five Year Review Requirements
    A minimum of 100 hours for the five years prior to registration review with a at least 50 hours of Type I CPD.

Rules 156 and 157 provide for setting requirements for Registered Members to furnish an annual return of their CPD activities in the form prescribed by the Registration Board. The current requirement is for CPD to be recorded on the NZIF website by the Registered Member for each calendar year by April 30 the following year.

If no return is submitted by the this due date or if the return does not meet the minimum requirements (including being relevant), no Annual Practicing Certificate will be issued and the member will be removed from the Register.

Annual returns may be subjected to a random audit by the Registration Board or reviewed/audited for content and attendance in relation to a members return.