Professional Advisory Committees

An integral part of the IANZ accreditation system are its Advisory Committees, comprising experts from the industry, science and technology, commerce, regulatory and/or administrative sectors. Individual members are knowledgeable, experienced and well regarded in their particular field. They are generally:

• Tertiary qualified and experienced in the science and technology they have been chosen to represent on the Committee;
• Familiar with, and committed to the accreditation process – usually having come from accredited organisations;
• Familiar with and well regarded within the industry sector they have been chosen to represent on the Committee;
• Familiar with the standards and regulatory requirements in the sector they are chosen to represent on the Committee;
• A demonstrated professionalism in their conduct with regard to all the above items, as relevant.

Membership rules ensure a balance of the interests represented by individual members,thereby assuring the impartiality of the IANZ accreditation system.

Each IANZ accreditation programme has its own Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), with some PACs overseeing multiple accreditation programmes. The key roles of the Professional Advisory Committees are to:

• Assist in the development and approval of the accreditation criteria and guidance applied in each accreditation programme.
• Liaise with, and represent, their industry sector in matter relating to IANZ and accreditation.
• Peer review the IANZ accreditation file for applicant organisations, which IANZ have recommended, for accreditation.
• Provide independent oversight to IANZ of the operation of the accreditation programme(s) within their remit, and advice on possible improvements.

The Accreditation Council appoints the Chair of each PAC, from within the membership of the PAC.

 Current Professional Advisory Committees are:

• Building Consent Authority Professional Advisory Committee (BCAPAC)
• Chemical & Biological Professional Advisory Committee (CBPAC)
• Inspection Body Professional Advisory Committee(IBPAC)
• Medical Imaging Services Professional Advisory Committee (MISPAC)
• Medical Testing Professional Advisory Committee(MTPAC)
• Metrology & Calibration Professional Advisory Committee (MCPAC)
• Physical Sciences Professional Advisory Committee (PPAC)

Accreditation Advisory Committee

The Accreditation Advisory Committee (AAC) comprises the Chairs of the various PACs. A Chairperson of the AAC is appointed by the Accreditation Council, and may be a Council member. The key roles of the AAC is to:

• Provide technical advice on accreditation policy matters to the Accreditation Council, as required;
• Provide IANZ and the Council with liaison and feedback from the New Zealand and international technical and accreditation community.
• Review with the IANZ secretariat, the generic criteria for accreditation to be applied across all fields of technology, as well as some consistency throughout field specific criteria documents for accreditation.
• Review with the IANZ secretariat, national and international developments in professional body accreditation.
• Function as an independent expert body which can be consulted by the Council for adjudication on any appeals arising from IANZ's accreditation activities.
• Assist the IANZ management, where required, in the establishment of ad hoc professional advisory committees in response to particular technical questions.
• Through the Chair, recommend (to the Chief Executive of IANZ, under delegated authority from the Council) the granting of accreditation to applicant organisations following the review and a positive recommendation by the relevant PAC.
• Oversee the operation of the PACs.