Cooke v Valuers Registration Board

[2015] NZHC 2815

IN THE HIGH COURT OF NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND REGISTRY

CIV-2015-404-1821 [2015] NZHC 2815

UNDER

Sections 4(1) and 4(5), Judicature

Amendment Act 1972

IN THE MATTER

of the Valuers Act 1948

BETWEEN

KENNETH ROBERT COOKE Plaintiff

AND

VALUERS REGISTRATION BOARD First Defendant

JOHN REID Second Defendant

Hearing:

12 November 2015

Counsel:

Appearance:

RKP Stewart for first defendant
JH Whitehead for second defendant

KR Cooke, plaintiff in person

Judgment:

12 November 2015

JUDGMENT OF FAIRE J

This judgment was delivered by me on 12 November 2015 at 4:45 pm, pursuant to Rule 11.5 of the High Court Rules.

Registrar/Deputy Registrar

Date……………

Solicitors:           Izard Weston, Wellington

DAC Beachcroft New Zealand Ltd, Auckland

And To:             RC Cooke, Auckland

Cooke v Valuers Registration Board [2015] NZHC 2815 [12 November 2015]

Contents

The proceeding .......................................................................................................[1] The applications for security for costs ...................................................................[5] The opposition........................................................................................................[6] The court’s approach to security for cost applications ...........................................[7] The threshold issue............................................................................................... [11] Background ..........................................................................................................[12] Analysis ................................................................................................................[21] Orders ...................................................................................................................[30] Costs .....................................................................................................................[31]

The proceeding

[1]      The plaintiff has filed this proceeding which invites the court to judicially review a decision of the Valuers Registration Board, notified by letter dated 11 June

2015 and in respect of a complaint the plaintiff made by letter dated 17 August 2014 to the New Zealand Institute of Valuers.

[2]      The plaintiff, by implication, pleads that the second defendant, who the New Zealand Institute of Valuers appointed to investigate and report to the Valuers Registration  Board  in  respect  of  a  complaint  involving  a  registered  valuer, Mr GJ Clapcott of Albion Banks Valuations Ltd:

(a)       Failed to meet the requirements of s 32(1) of the Valuers Act 1948;

and

(b)      Produced a report which was not of a sufficient quality to discharge

the second defendant’s professional duty of care.

[3]      The plaintiff seeks orders that:

(a)      The Valuers Registration Board’s decision not to hold an inquiry into the plaintiff’s complaint about the second defendant’s investigation and report to the Valuers Registration Board be set aside;

(b)Effectively a declaration by the court as to the essential requirements of an investigation in terms of s 31(1) of the Valuers Act 1948;

(c)       Effectively  a  declaration  by  the  court  as  to  whether  the  second

defendant’s report meets the requirements of the Act;

(d)Effectively  a  declaration  by  the  court  as  to  whether  the  second defendant discharged his professional duty of care when he submitted his report to the Valuers Registration Board; and

(e)      Effectively a declaration by the court as to whether the Valuers Registration Board properly exercised its statutory powers of decision and properly discharged its professional duty of care in arriving at its decision.

[4]      The plaintiff filed his statement of claim on 12 August 2015.

The applications for security for costs

[5]      The first and second defendants applied respectively on 10 and 18 September

2015  for  orders  for  security  for  costs.    Directions  for  the  disposal  of  those applications were made by Peters J in a minute of 24 September 2015, including the allocation of this fixture.

The opposition

[6]      The…