News

LINZ welcomes Jan Pierce

LINZ extends a warm welcome to new Customer Services' General Manager, Jan Pierce.

Jan began her new role on 4 August, following an eight-year stint at the Farmers Mutual Group.

"Coming to LINZ is definitely a new challenge for me, having not worked in the public sector before," says Jan. "I'm really excited to be part of the LINZ team, and look forward to learning all about the services and products we offer, and meeting our stakeholders and customers."

During her time with the Farmers Mutual Group, Jan's responsibilities included human resources, organisational development, support services, operational leadership of service centres, and the development of a contact centre. Jan began her career in the banking sector, followed by several years in the health sector, where she was the Human Resources Manager of a large Crown Health Enterprise employing more than 5,000 staff.

Chief Executive, Colin MacDonald, says Jan will be a real asset to LINZ. "Jan brings a fresh perspective on our activities and strategic direction. Her experience in the area of customer support will be especially valuable to both LINZ and our customers going forward."

Jan succeeds Sharon Cottrell, who retired from LINZ at the end of July. See article LINZ farewells Sharon Cottrell in the July edition of Landwrap for more information.

Regulatory News

Reminder - Seminars to introduce the new Rules for Cadastral Survey 2010

As advised in July, LINZ will be running a series of seminars from 8 September 2009 to inform surveyors and their staff of the changes to the Rules, and the implications for cadastral surveys.

The Rules were finalised in June following public consultation, and are planned to come into force in May 2010.

The seminar programme is as follows:

Venue	Date	Time
Wellington	Tuesday 8 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
New Plymouth	Thursday 10 September	1.30pm – 4.30pm
Dunedin	Thursday 10 September	3.30pm – 6.30pm
Christchurch	Monday 14 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
Napier	Wednesday 16 September	1.30pm – 4.30pm
Palmerston North	Thursday 17 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
North Shore	Tuesday 22 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
Auckland	Wednesday 23 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
Nelson	Thursday 24 September	9.30am – 12.30pm
Blenheim	Thursday 24 September	3.30pm – 6.30pm
Tauranga	Monday 28 September	3.00pm – 6.00pm
Hamilton	Tuesday 29 September	2.30pm – 5.30pm
Queenstown	Wednesday 30 September	1.30pm – 4.30pm
Kerikeri	Thursday 1 October	1.00pm – 4.00pm

For more information about seminar venues and how to register, see New Rules for Cadastral Survey 2010 on the LINZ website.

Please register at least one week before the seminar in your region.

A document explaining the significant changes, 'Introducing the new Rules for Cadastral Survey 2010', will be published on the LINZ website prior to the seminars.

Law firms find audit process "painless"

Having statutory responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the land titles registration system under the Land Transfer Act 1952, the Registrar-General of Land requires a high level of regulatory assurance from law firms licensed for e-dealing. As a result, LINZ has introduced a risk, system and controls-based audit methodology for e-dealing customers.

The objective of the audit is to provide assurance that law firms have systems, processes and controls in place to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements for conveyancing transactions registered via e-dealing.

Landwrap talks to two law firms that have recently been through LINZ’s audit process to find out if it has impacted on their business, and what improvements, if any, they have made as a result.

Tripe Matthews & Feist in Wellington were audited in February 2009. Partner David Murphy says the audit reassured them they were on track.

"The audit was a non-intrusive process, and reassured us that most of our processes were good," says David. "LINZ pointed out some areas where we could improve. In preparation for the meeting, I had a look at the way we do things, and we've tidied up our manuals as a result. That was a good exercise.

"I'm also now more diligent about sharing information. I pull articles out of Landwrap or off the website, and send them round to staff. The e-dealing FAQs are a good example."

Barbara McManaway, conveyancing manager with Public Trust Conveyancing Practice in Lower Hutt, found the audit "pain free", and says it helped them streamline their processes.

"We were audited about a year ago," says Barbara. "Since then, we keep all e-dealing information at the front of the individual client file, rather than keeping another complete set of documentation on a separate file. We also learnt what we need to keep and what we don't."

LINZ's audit process involves a review of the firm's policies and processes, interviews with staff who have various responsibilities within the e-dealing process, and a review of a sample of client files. Results are discussed with the firm throughout the process, and recommendations are included in the final report.

"When LINZ sent through the instructions about the audit, I realised we didn't have a formal e-dealing policy so we built one," says Barbara. "It has to be signed by any new employees at Public Trust who will be involved in e-dealing. The policy covers what LINZ expects of us, handling Digital Certificates, paperwork etc."

LINZ recommended Tripe Matthews & Feist conduct three-monthly peer reviews. David says, "We each bring along a couple of files and swap them for review to ensure we're following procedure. It has sharpened our awareness to be careful to get the right authorities, and to follow good processes when signing and certifying."

When asked about advice for law firms about to be audited, David says, "Review your procedures, and ensure to the best of your knowledge you're doing all the right things. It wouldn't be pleasant to be found to be sloppy, and have a lot of files that didn't pass. With that caveat, don't be scared as it was actually fairly painless."

Barbara advises, "Check your files before the auditor comes. Make sure all the paperwork is together so they don’t have to waste time on the day."

More information on LINZ's e-dealing audit methodology is available on this website.