Appeals against CITPNZ or CTech decision

This policy sets out the process and procedures for appeals against decisions made in connection with applications for Chartered IT Professional NZ or Certified Technologist by IT Professionals NZ (ITP NZ). The purpose is to ensure that all applicants receive fair and consistent consideration at all stages of the relevant process.

Who can appeal

The following applies to any person who has applied to ITP for award of Chartered IT Professional NZ (CITPNZ) or Certified Technologist (CTech).

Note that this does not apply to applications for Institute membership or membership advancement, which are handled in accordance with section 7 of ITP's Bylaws.

Grounds for appeal

The grounds for appeal are:

Evidence that the proper processes and procedures have not been followed.

Extenuating circumstances (such as illness or personal circumstances) at the time of interview which may have adversely affected the applicant's performance.

Evidence that proper processes have not been followed will include technical failure that impacts on the conduct of the interview.

To be clear, disagreeing with the determination of the assessors where due process has been followed and there are no extenuating circumstances is not considered a grounds for appeal.

Process of the Appeal

The member will provide an appeal in writing to the Chief Executive of the Institute. The appeal must clearly:

outline the grounds for the appeal
submit evidence for consideration
comply with time limits and any other requirements as laid down in the processes and procedures for lodging and conducting an appeal.

Note that all evidence to be considered by the Appeals Committee must be submitted in writing at this stage. While the Appeals Committee may request additional information at its discretion, information supplied later will otherwise not be considered.

The ITP Executive will constitute a 3-person Appeals Committee to consider the appeal. The decision of the majority of that Appeals Committee shall stand and where no decision can be reached, a new Appeals Committee will be formed on the same basis but with entirely new members. If this second committee can also not reach a majority decision, the Appeal will fail.

Appeals Committee

The ITP Executive will form a committee to consider the appeal. This committee will normally be made up of:

One member of the Executive
An assessor that has had no involvement in the decision being appealed
One other independent member who shall be a Chartered IT Professional

At its discretion the Appeals Committee may:

Request more information and when this has been obtained reconsider the appeal
Direct that a further peer review interview is conducted
Seek advice from any specialists it deems necessary, to assist in reaching a decision

There is no provision for the Appeals Committee to interview the applicant or for the applicant to make verbal submissions - all details must be provided in writing at the time of the appeal.

After considering the appeal, the Appeals Committee may either uphold or dismiss the appeal. The decision of the Commitete is final and no further Appeals may be considered.

If an appeal is upheld

Where an appeal is upheld the applicant will be offered the opportunity to have their application reconsidered and to rejoin the assessment process at the appropriate point. This will usually involve a further peer review assessment based on the tenet that applicants for accreditation must be able to convince their assessors on the day that they are suitable to be accredited.

Time limits

Appeals must be lodged within 21 days of the date of the notification of a decision regarding an application for accreditation.

The Appeals Committee must be formed within 21 days of an Appeal being received or the Appeals Fee paid, whichever is the latter.

The decision of the Appeals Committee must be entered and communicated to the applicant within three months from the date the Appeals Committee was formed.