PUBLISHER
IRHACE/CCCANZ/RLNZ
IRHACE: www.irhace.org.nz
CCCANZ: www.cccanz.org.nz
RLNZ: www.rlnz.org.nz
EDITOR
HVAC&R Centre admin@irhace.org.nz
MEMBERSHIP admin@irhace.org.nz admin@cccanz.org.nz
REFRIGERANT LICENSING & COURSES admin@rlnz.org.nz
ADVERTISING admin@irhace.org.nz
DESIGN
Bellacreative Ltd
HVAC&R CENTRE
PO Box 217184
Botany Junction 2164
Auckland, New Zealand
e: admin@irhace.org.nz
e: admin@cccanz.org.nz
e: admin@rlnz.org.nz
No part of this journal may be printed in other publications without prior written permission of the Managing Editor.
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the associations, and members of IRHACE or CCCANZ. The IRHACE Journal publishes both local and international articles. Standards and or practices may differ from current New Zealand standards and or practices used. No responsibility is accepted by the associations and editor for the accuracy of information or for errors or omissions. The IRHACE Journal is distributed to all the IRHACE and CCCANZ financial members.
ISSN 01148257
Happy New Year and hope everyone had a great holiday break.
In December, the industry associations submitted our submission to MfE for “He haurah mārohi ki te whakaheke i te panga o te haurehu kowhai ki te taiao - Proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of fluorinated gases”.
We have serious concerns regarding this consultation process, and we encourage all the industry to read our submission (details on this are in this issue) and encourage you to voice your concerns. In the November issue, the industry associations released what they have been doing for the HVAC&R Industry. Read here, https://www.cccanz. org.nz/news/164/35/The-Invisible-Elephant-in-the-Climate-ChangeRoom/
It is exciting to announce the exhibitors in the HVAC&R Hub event coming up at the Auckland Showgrounds on 20/21 June. We ask you to support these companies by attending this event – so register early – and mark this in your calendar.
IRHACE turns 90-years in 2023 and throughout this year we will be featuring various time periods of this era. This is a great way of looking at our history and seeing how we have grown over the years.
Finally, both RLNZ and CCCANZ give us updates on what is happening in the companies and training areas.
See here for the latest update from RLNZ, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DP5Ld2V0MpA
AIRAH has released a free best-practice guideline for operating commercial kitchen exhaust systems.
Developed by the Institute’s Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Special Technical Group (STG), the Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Management Best Practice Guide is freely available from the AIRAH website.
The guide highlights the fire risks associated with commercial kitchen exhaust systems, and provides strategies for minimising these risks.
AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, says the specialist guide is a vital aid for practitioners – and addresses a major safety issue for all building occupants.
“One of the most common places for a fire to occur in a building is in a kitchen,” says Gleeson. “This is particularly true for restaurants and commercial kitchens, where most fires start at the cooking surface and spread into the kitchen exhaust hood ventilation system. When a fire enters a kitchen exhaust system it can escalate and spread rapidly due to the accumulation of grease and other debris.
“Indeed, grease is definitely the word when it comes to escalation of kitchen exhaust fires.”
This was the case in 2014, when the renowned Stokehouse restaurant in Melbourne burnt down.
According to Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Management Best Practice Guide editor Vince Aherne, F.AIRAH, maintenance contractors and health and safety assessors regularly relate kitchen exhaust horror stories.
“The systems have been either installed incorrectly or have been compromised since installation,” he says. “They do not comply with minimum safety standards, or have not been maintained – resulting in years of grease accumulation and high fire and health risks. A so-called ‘accident waiting to happen’.
“It is clear that many in the commercial kitchen industry do not fully appreciate the importance and risks of kitchen exhaust maintenance.”
The Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Management Best Practice Guide is available for free download from www.airah.org.au/resources
One of the Standards New Zealand committees is EL-060 Household Refrigerating Appliances. Standards development committees are central to creating new standards, reviewing existing standards, and adopting international standards. They work using a transparent and consensus-based approach, which leads to standards solutions that are robust and workable in ‘real life’.
Balanced development committees are made up of experts acting as volunteers, gifting to the committee their knowledge and skills through a process that enables these experts to challenge, test, and moderate to achieve the best outcome.
IRHACE, as a nominating organization is asking for expressions of interest from their members for the EL-060 Household Refrigerating Appliances Standards NZ committee. Members must be currently working in the refrigeration industry and be at a minimum a M.IRHACE.
Contact IRHACE at admin@irhace.org.nz
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Congratulations from IRHACE and CCCANZ to Apex Airconditioning for winning the NZ Indian Business Award for Service Excellence. Apex Air is a CCCANZ member and many of their staff are IRHACE members including Ashwin Patel, Managing Director.
Established in 2006 as a quality air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration product and service provider, Apex Air is a forward-thinking company building great partnerships with a network of associates throughout New Zealand. With over 100 years of combined HVAC experience in Service Management, Apex Air specialises in the design, installation, service and maintenance of commercial heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Check out ApexAir’s recent win at the New Zealand Indian Awards for Service Excellence!
We’re so proud of our team for winning this award - a true testament to their hard work and dedication.
ApexAir works hard to provide exceptional customer service each and every day and we’re thrilled that the efforts of our team has been recognized. This win is a reminder that no matter the challenge, anything is possible when you put your heart into it.
Congratulations to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen!
Ramesh Pindoria, GM ApexAir
The Ministry for the Environment – Manatu Mo Te Taiao seeked feedback on the discussion document which closed on 18 December 2022 “He haurah mārohi ki te whakaheke i te panga o te haurehu kowhai ki te taiao - Proposed measures to reduce the environmental impact of fluorinated gases”.
The Institute of Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand (IRHACE), Climate Control Companies Association of New Zealand (CCCANZ) and Refrigerant License New Zealand (RLNZ)represent the majority of the HVAC&R industry and as such should be regarded as the primary voice for the industry with respect to engagement with the government on industry related matters including climate change policies. By working closely together, in close collaboration with HPSANZ, are able to clearly articulate an across-the-industry approach to the mitigation of f-gas refrigerant emissions.
We have reviewed the Heat Pump Suppliers Association of New Zealand’s (HPSANZ) submission and are very pleased to support it as it closely aligns with ours.
IRHACE/CCCANZ have also set out in detail in correspondence from our solicitors, Heimsath Alexander, our concerns about the circumstances in which the current trustees of Recovery were appointed and came to control the NZUs to which the MfE appears to attach considerable significance in the consultation document.
We have also made it clear to MfE that we intend to submit an application for accreditation as a product stewardship scheme and that work on this is under way.
The MfE’s focus on scheme funding, and the fact that Recovery holds valuable NZUs, can be contrasted with the MfE’s apparent reluctance to engage with how the current trustees of Recovery came to hold those NZUs and, accordingly, enjoy the funding advantage conferred by them. In short, we consider that the NZUs in question were unlawfully transferred to the current trustees and should still be held by Refrigerant Recovery New Zealand Ltd (RRNZ). The dispute over the lawfulness of the restructure of Recovery, and the resulting transfer of the NZUs, is ongoing. In the meantime, we have been advised by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which administers the account in which the NZUs in question are held, that the account is subject to a “temporary hold”. Accordingly, our understanding is that the NZUs are not currently available to Recovery for use in the way that the Consultation Document appears to contemplate. The comments in the Consultation Document about Recovery’s ability to fund an accredited scheme appear to be based on a material misapprehension.
The restructure of Recovery was clearly intended to transfer the NZUs into the control of the current trustees and manoeuvre themselves, rather than RRNZ, into pole position for accreditation. Inevitably, when it comes to accreditation, there are significant advantages that arise from having operated the existing voluntary scheme and acquired the resulting NZUs. Until the restructure, that scheme was operated by RRNZ. The restructure removed those advantages from RRNZ and transferred them to the current trustees. However, it did not transfer the knowhow, experience, training resources, and industry support that remains with RRNZ.
The Consultation Document fails to have regard to the views we have previously expressed on behalf of the industry about Recovery under its current trustees.
The final draft of the Milestone 4 Report was not presented to the boards of our organisations. Consequently, there was no opportunity to comment on it before it was published. Accordingly, the MfE should exercise caution in giving weight to the Milestone Reports to the extent they purport to represent the collective will of the industry groups we represent. They do not represent RRNZ’s position.
The Milestone Reports can, however, be relied upon to the extent that they set out the MfE’s expectations of product stewardship schemes in terms of corporate governance. The nature and extent of Recovery’s shortcomings in this regard have previously been set out in our lawyer’s letter in May 2022.
Other critical flaws in the Consultation Document include:
• The continued focus on f-gas end-of-life (EOL) recovery and destruction, while playing lip-service to the crucial issue, this being the bulk of f-gas emissions occur upstream in the supply chain as a result of substandard installations, poor maintenance and illegal discharges.
• Any assumption that a Recovery PSS will be supported by the HVAC&R industry is false. Our organisations strongly believe a continued focus on EOL recovery and destruction neither meets the government’s PSS expectations nor serves the industry well.
“Against that backdrop, it is a significant concern that, as a result of its focus on scheme funding, the Consultation Document appears to have predetermined that the purported “co-designed scheme” engineered by Recovery will be accredited as a product stewardship scheme”
“Furthermore, we believe an effective PSS must be established and managed by the peak industry organisations who are at the sharp end of refrigerant use, as well as being ultimately responsible for technician training and workplace safety”.
The apparent lack of focus on a comprehensive ETE scheme can be traced back to the synthetic refrigerant PSS/PSO industry working group which, while addressing a wide range of refrigerant management issues, failed to recommend effective refrigerant management strategies in its final report.
The final report Milestone 4: Guiding principles for preferred industry stewardship solution was published on 20 March 2020, not in May 2020 as is stated in the consultation document. The Milestone 4 report essentially recommended a continuation of the existing Recovery Trust Scheme.
While Recovery may now be scrambling to implement a wider based scheme a fundamental problem it faces is it lacks the experience and the capabilities to implement an effective ETE scheme.
A particular issue currently facing the industry is the replacement of f-gases by flammable hydrocarbons, high-pressure CO2 and toxic ammonia. Given they are replacing f-gases, and the risk this poses, their management should sensibly be integrated into the PSS scheme. However, due to the risk involved, and the lack of capability on the part of Recovery in this regard, the industry is not going to surrender the governance and management of the replacement refrigerants to Recovery.
As noted above, some material assumptions relating to Recovery are incorrect. IRHACE’s and RRNZ’s lawyers, Heimsath Alexander, have previously written to MfE regarding these matters, which were also discussed at the Facilitation Meeting and are well known to the MfE. It is unfortunate that the Consultation Document fails to have regard to this information and these misapprehensions persist.
“Our organisations will submit an application for a product stewardship scheme under s.7 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2007 (WMA). Our industry organisations believe the PSS scheme we propose will more comprehensively meet the Ministerial Guidelines (WMA s.12) for a Product Stewardship scheme than can be proposed by Recovery”.
MFE advises that “officials will analyse submissions and provide advice to the Government on the proposed policies that are discussed in the consultation document. If you have any further questions please email FGas@mfe.govt.nz.
For more information, go to the IRHACE website for the full submission document at https://www.irhace.org.nz/publications-2/publication-page/
IRHACE Council (IRHACE), https://www.irhace.org.nz/about/irhace-council/
CCCANZ Board (CCCANZ), https://www.cccanz.org.nz/about-us/ccca-committee/
RLNZ Board (RLNZ), https://www.rlnz.org.nz/w/rl/aboutus/
Refrigerant Recovery New Zealand Ltd Board (RRNZ), https://www.irhace.org.nz/about/rrnzrro/
“We strongly encourage the industry to voice their concerns over the consultation process”.
Launched on 17 November 2022, the “Keep it Decent” guidelines for Safe and Respectful Workplaces are an initiative by Hanga-Aro-Rau and Waihanga Ara Rau Workforce Development Councils. These guidelines have been developed to provide practical actions for trade employers and managers to improve workplace culture for women who are traditionally marginalised at work.
These guidelines set out a baseline of what is expected from everyone in our industries to make sure we create workplace cultures where everyone is welcome. Industry wide, we are making this commitment to promote inclusion and diversity, observe fair employment practices, and not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” says Samantha McNaughton, Deputy CE of Hanga-Aro-Rau.
IRHACE and CCCANZ are working in collaboration to bring more members into IRHACE as Affiliate Members which includes staff of CCCANZ 100+ member companies. In 2022, this initiative has already seen an increase in women members, and this is anticipated to further increase in 2023/2024.
For more information, go to the Hanga Aro-Rau website at, https://www.hangaarorau.nz/latest-news/keep-it-decent/
I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THE HVAC&R INDUSTRY
Help us strengthen our industry . Talk to women in our industry and get them to join IRHACE as an Affiliate Member, and if they do, they get the special price of $99 + GST
XPO Exhibitions, organiser of the highly successful trade events Facilities Integrate and BuildNZ are pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with IRHACE. The Institute of Refrigeration Heating & Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand (IRHACE) have confirmed their 2023 conference will co-locate at these two iconic events in June next year.
With over 250 exhibiting suppliers, 4,000+ delegates and thousands of product innovations on display this is set to be the largest event for your industry in 2023. 20-21
Register to attend for FREE at: buildnz.com facilitiesintegrate.nz
Unlock endless networking and business opportunities by joining these exhibiting companies at New Zealand’s leading trade event for building and facilities industry professionals. Can you afford to miss out on the chance to be a part of the largest gathering of industry leaders in the country?
• The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 re-registering of Societies starts in October 2023.
• Annual General Meeting on 29th June 2023
• At New Zealands’s trade-only who design, manage buildings
• Brought to CCCANZ.
• With over 250 suppliers, 4,000+ and thousands innovations
Our industry is specialised and it offers more variety, better pay and wider opportunities than more conventional trades.
CCCANZ is focusing on four key areas in 2023:
• Business Innovation
• Excellence in Business
• Services to Industry
Zealands’s largest exhibition for people design, construct and buildings and facilities.
you by IRHACE and 250 exhibiting 4,000+ delegates thousands of product innovations on display
• Recognition of our industry
• Climate Control
• Maintenance standards and safety
Two new Trustees have been appointed to the Refrigerant License Trust Board (RLTB) effective December 2022. Special welcome to Mark Meyer and Garrett Glynn.
Mark is the Country Manager for Danfoss in New Zealand. Danfoss has Danfoss Learning which is a free online learning platform designed to help engineers, installers, service technicians and wholesalers better understand the technology. With more than 49,000 registered users the Danfoss Learning platform offers hundreds of training courses. Mark has extensive experience in training systems and supports the RLNZ and IRHACE technical collaboration which involves the CPD programme.
Garrett is the current Lecturer for MIT in Auckland and he teaches the block courses to all apprentices across New Zealand. He is on the Apprentices of IRHACE Committee and has recently been appointed as the World Expert for WorldSkillsNZ in the refrigeration and airconditioning area. One of the gold verifiers for RLNZ he also takes practical assessments for the new Approved Filler Courses.
Between 2015- 2021, RLNZ issued Approved Fillers licenses into our industry and in late 2021 RLNZ decided it was time to update our fillers courses.
After 18 months our courses have been completely restructured and the content updated to meet current requirements then were relaunched in October 2022.
An example of a recently completed practical verification was carried out recently in Dunedin. Rikki Fallow had passed both A1 and A2L online theory courses and made contact with an RLNZ verifier (Matt Birch) and organized a date for his practical assessment.
The assessment was during lunch time in his company workshop and the practical assessment was completed in 55 minutes. This included checking of PPE gear, workshop environment and the health and safety requirements as per the RLNZ (Safety Data Sheet) SDS.
Rikki advised RLNZ that he felt the practical was a good test of his skillset and he enjoyed the process.
1. Signed up for A1 and A2L online theory courses - 4 November
2. Completed and passed A1 and A2L theory courses – 15 November
3. Passed practical assessment – 7 December
“This was a fantastic example of the RLNZ Approved Filler courses in action. Quick, easy and a great test of your skillset and that Rikki had the support of his company in utilizing their workshop.
It is good to talk to people in our industry and for RLNZ to see what other training people need and to meet the companies face to face”.
Matt Birch, RLNZ Chair.Photos: Rikki Fallow performing an A2L practical assessment
Hitachi’s innovative new wall mounted split system is equipped with an automatic cleaning robot, FrostWash™ Technology, Intelligent camera as well as many other smart features.
The Intelligent Scene Camera Technology identifies up to five people, their location in the room, their activity level or absence to adjust the temperature, airflow, or setting to provide comfort to those who need it most.
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Learn more about our history
Get involved
1933 NZIRACE (NZ Association of Refrigeration). The initial meeting of refrigeration interests was held in the board room of the NZ Dairy Produce Control Board in Wellington on 13 April 1933. The rules submitted by the draft committee were adopted and sent for registration under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.
1947
New Zealand Institute of Refrigeration Engineers (Inc). Acknowledgement from the Registrar of Incorporated Societies was received on 25 August 1947.
1961
New Zealand Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. A special meeting was called to change the name of the Institute by adding “and Air Conditioning”.
1989 2023
Amalgamation of NZIRACE and NZIHVE in 1989. Becoming IRHACE (Institute of Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand).
The new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 will enter fully into force in October 2023. From October 2023, IRHACE will be re-registering as an Incorporated Society.
The Apprentices of IRHACE had its initial meeting in December 2022. A call for committee members was announced in the Industry Journal in early December. Attendees at the meeting were: Matt Birch (RLNZ), Mark Meyer (IRHACE), David Everett (IRHACE), Trent McDonald (IRHACE), Garrett Glynn (RLNZ) and Phil Mohan (IRHACE/CCCANZ).
The meeting elected a Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator and a WorldSkills Expert: Trent McDonald (Coordinator), David Everett (Assistant Coordinator), Garrett Glynn (WorldSkills Expert)
This SIG covers the Wallie Askew Memorial Workskills Competition, Wallie Askew Scholarship Fund and development into schools and high performance. One of the aims is to develop a pathway to represent New Zealand in the WorldSkills Competition for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning as well as a development plan for HVAC&R apprentices.
Various technical aspects were discussed, and a strategic plan is being developed to cover the various areas for 2023 and 2024. The New Zealand representation is every two years, and the next WorldSkills Competition is in 2024.
An initial timeline for 2023 is as follows: March
July
October/November
This is a great development area for our industry, and we would like more people to get involved at the various levels. If you are a company or supplier we would value you being involved as a sponsor.
If you are interested please contact Trent McDonald, Apprentices of IRHACE Co-ordinator 022 300 2483 or at trent@idealair.co.nz or contact the HVAC&R Centre at admin@irhace.org.nz
We welcome our new members to both IRHACE and CCCANZ.
For IRHACE there are four membership types: M.IRHACE by Qualification, M.IRHACE by Experience, Associate and Affiliate. If you do not quality for M.IRHACE or Associate membership you are able to join as an Affiliate member.
CCCANZ has two company membership types of Member and Affiliate and membership star ts from as little as $500 annually.
Howard sadly passed away earlier in the year in May 2022. He had been retired for some years. Howard goes back a long way some years before me. He started I think with Terry Thorpe design in Dunedin and then went onto Valley Industries’ where he had a share in that business. Howard retired from Valley Industries’ after many years in the trade, mainly ventilation and Sheetmetal, but he did design many of the first New Worlds down here where he developed a heat recovery system using the heat off the refrigeration gear to warm the shops; very simple and they worked..Valley Industries made Sheetmetal products, flashings etc, hot water cylinders and at one stage a diesel fired Domestic furnace called Vallair and they also had a go at making deep freezers.
Words from Peter Chettleburgh
Brought to you by IRHACE our Webinar Series for the HVAC&R industry. IRHACE members receive access to the online library as part of their membership.
If you have missed a previous live webinar, go the online library to view. You can still gain valuable CPD points once you have completed viewing.
TOPICS AVAILABLE IN ONLINE LIBRARY
· Designing with Ventilation Louvres
· Expansion work recovery (EWR)
· Air Quality ventilation and Covid 19
· The application of reinforcement for vapour compression cycle control
· Flammable refrigerants in an airconditioning application
· Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems NEW
A-Z listing of CCCANZ companies, full listing is available from www.cccanz.org.nz
MHI Heat Pumps
https://www.mhiheatpumps.co.nz
09-5253019
Auckland
Numecon Contracting Ltd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-vincent-3936728a
09-5264850
Auckland
Power Chill NZ Ltd
https://www.powerchill.co.nz
07-871 8229
Te Awamutu
Realcold NZ Ltd
https://realcold.co.nz/
0800 11 66 90
Auckland
Set Point Technology Ltd
https://www.setpointtech.co.nz
0800 48 2207
Auckland
NME Mechanical Ltd
https://nme.co.nz
09-3096600
Auckland
Patton Ltd
https://pattonnz.com
09-5370057
Auckland
RCR Infrastructure
https://www.rcrnz.co.nz
09-6349611
Auckland
RefSpecs NZ
https://refspecs.co.nz
09-5820200
Auckland
SImx
https://simx.co.nz/
09-259-1660
Auckland
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