IT Professionals New Zealand | Te Pou Hangarau Ngaio

IT Professionals NZ (then IITP) changed the IT Certified Professionals certification (ITCP) to Chartered IT Professionals New Zealand (CITPNZ) on 1 February 2015.

If you hold ITCP or had applied for it prior to 30 January 2015, here are the changes and information that affect you:

The Institute has committed to increasing the profile of professional certification significantly in New Zealand, so you'll be seeing a lot more about CITPNZ during 2015 and beyond.

Changing to Chartered IT Professional New Zealand

On 1 February 2015 your ITCP Certification changed to Chartered IT Professional New Zealand (CITPNZ). You don't need to do anything - this happened automatically.

You should have received a new CITPNZ Certificate, and be listed on the CITPNZ Register on ITP's website as well as the global CITP Register. Once you're listed on the CITPNZ Register you can update your business card, stationary, CV and elsewhere with the new title and post nominal (see below).

The old ITCP website and Register at www.itcp.org.nz has now been decommissioned, and redirects to the CITPNZ pages on the ITP site.

CITP Breadth of Knowledge Test

All Chartered IT Professionals worldwide must pass the CITP Breadth of Knowledge Test and you will need to sit and pass this over the next year or two. This is an invigilated (sit-down, in exam conditions) test and covers a broad range of IT-related knowledge.

As an IT Certified Professional transferring to CITPNZ, you need to sit and pass the Breadth of Knowledge test before the earlier of:

1. Your current expiry date (currently visible on the CITPNZ register)
2. 1 February 2017 (two years following launch date)

As we changed to five-year renewals earlier this year (see below), most will have close to two years to complete this test.

The test will be available to sit at locations across New Zealand from February 2015 and there will be no cost to sit the test. Overseas applicants may be able to sit the test at international test centres - more information will be available soon.

The test comprises 75 multiple choice questions which cover a broad range of topics. As well as achieving a pass mark of 8/15 in each of the 5 sections, candidates must correctly answer 50/75 (67%) overall. If candidates don't pass the first time they will be able to resit once. If this is unsuccessful, the CITPNZ will lapse and the candidate will need to apply for CITPNZ again after waiting six months.

Before sitting the formal test you will have access to a mock test. You can view the Breadth of Knowledge Test Curriculum here.

Post nominal usage

Once you're listed on the CITPNZ Register you are authorised to use the CITPNZ post nominal. This would normally be used in association with your ITP membership post nominal and any qualification, such as:

John Smith, BSc, MIITP CITPNZ

As a Chartered IT Professional NZ awarded by ITP New Zealand, you can choose to use either the CITPNZ or CITP post nominal (but not both). We recommend using the CITPNZ post nominal, however some may wish to use CITP for international work as it's likely to be more highly recognised outside NZ.

Those awarded Chartered IT Professional from other bodies may not use the CITPNZ post nominal (unless their CITP has been transferred to ITP). This is because there are several unique aspects to CITPNZ, such as removal from the CITP Register if you don't remain current.

Renewal period changed to 5 years

ITP recently changed the renewal period for ITCP to five years, following standard practice in other countries such as the UK and Australia. Up until 2014 the renewal period was three years.

This change is permanent and will be carried through to CITPNZ - you will need to provide evidence that you still meet the requirements of CITPNZ every five years. Details of how this renewal occurs will be available shortly. Provided your CITPNZ has remained current, it will not be necessary to sit the Breadth of Knowledge test again.

In New Zealand, ITP does not differentiate between holding CITPNZ and holding a Certificate of Current Competence. This means that if you don't stay current, your CITPNZ will lapse and you will be removed from the CITP Register.

Change in annual cost

Due to increased licensing costs in relation to Chartered IT Professional, the annual cost of certification has increased from $125 to $195 incl GST.

Note that this is only partially offsetting the additional costs of the change to CITPNZ - the Institute is absorbing much of this cost. The Institute has also committed to considerably increasing the profile of Chartered IT Professional in New Zealand.

Transferring CITP to CITPNZ

Those holding CITP awarded by other bodies have the ability to transfer to CITPNZ, gaining additional recognition in New Zealand. The process for transferring between bodies is quick and easy - just contact us for more information.

Applied for ITCP prior to 30 January 2015?

Those who had applied for ITCP prior to 30 January 2015 must meet the requirements for ITCP as per normal, rather than CITPNZ, even if their application isn't fully assessed and their interview hasn't occurred prior to the 1 February 2015 changeover.

• If their application was successful and they were awarded ITCP prior to 1 February, they will receive ITCP as normal and be transferred to CITPNZ on 1 February 2015 under the arrangements outlined above.
• If their application is successful and they are awarded certification on or after 1 February but before 31 March, they will be transferred to CITPNZ immediately upon their application being processed under the same terms and conditions as outlined above.

Note that all additional information requested must be provided, and the interview must occur, prior to 31 March 2015 or the application will lapse and the applicant will need to re-submit their application under the CITPNZ requirements.

No applications were accepted on 31 January 2015.

Please don't hesitate to contact ITP for further clarification on any of the points above.