Member expelled from IPENZ

MEDIA RELEASE – For immediate use, 15 July 2014

Member expelled from IPENZ

As set out in notices to be published in Otago Daily Times and Southland Times on Wednesday 16 July 2014, an IPENZ Disciplinary Committee has expelled Mr Anthony Stanley Major of Invercargill from membership of the Institution.

Mr Major was responsible for the design and observed the construction of the Southland Stadium between 1999 and 2000. The roof structures over the main section of the stadium collapsed after a snow storm on 18 September 2010.

At a hearing on 6 December 2013, Mr Major was found to have been both negligent and incompetent in his actions. The Disciplinary Committee was of the opinion that this was a publicly accessible building capable of holding over 2,500 people and that Mr Major had failed to protect the health and safety of the public by his casual attitude to his professional engineering activities at the time.

The committee also found that Mr Major breached the IPENZ Code of Ethics and his attitude and competencies remain below the current standards for a Professional Member of IPENZ.

Mr Major requested an appeal of the Committee’s determination but an appeal committee found none of the criteria for an appeal had been satisfied and his request was dismissed on 9 July 2014.

IPENZ Chief Executive Dr Andrew Cleland stated that “expulsion from Membership indicates a very serious breach of the standards the profession expects to be upheld. As a membership body it is our highest level of sanction.”

Along with expulsion, Mr Major is required to pay the Institution the full amount of its costs and expenses in the inquiry and disciplinary process. A public notice will also be issued to newspapers in Southland and Otago.

ENDS

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