"When work is not bountiful, some people apparently decide to turn their hands to plumbing without authorisation.
"The number of plumbers and gas-fitters that are working in the district without the required licence and registration seems to be growing.
"That is why we have decided to raise the issue, so an investigation can be carried out," Advantage Plumbing and Drainage managing director Peter Faul said.
Last week, Mr Faul and a group of local tradesmen and business owners met in Queenstown to discuss the issue of unlicensed practitioners.
The group has presented its concern to the Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers organisation, but is apprehensive about talking publicly about its findings.
"This is a small community and livelihoods can be at stake, so I cannot name anyone until the formal investigation has been done.
"But we have collated a list of names of individuals and companies that appear to operate without licences, and shown it to our organisation," Mr Faul said.
Plumbers and gas-fitters are required by law to be both registered and licenced.
The registration is permanent, but the licence has to be renewed each year.
Under the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act it is an offence to "knowingly employ, permit or pay any person to do plumbing or gasfitting" without a licence.
Lakes Environmental (LE) is the local authority responsible for ensuring that work carried out at construction sites in the region is done by licensed tradesmen.
Chief executive Hamish Dobbie said LE checked registration and licensing as part of its ongoing building control.
If a plumber did not have the appropriate licence and registration, LE could not issue the certificate of compliance for the building.
But Mr Dobbie did not share the local tradesmen's concern.
"I am not aware of any growing trend of more people operating without a licence. If we are informed of specific issues, we will consider adjusting our control as needed," Mr Dobbie said.
At the national level, the Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Association is aware of unlicensed practitioners in its industry, and Master Plumbers chief executive Fiona Gavriel agrees the problem is on the rise.
"This is a nationwide problem that has been magnified by the recession, which puts pressure on the workforce.
"It is getting noticeably worse in areas with a relatively large number of construction sites, like Queenstown and part of Auckland," Ms Gavriel said.
The Master Plumbers association intends to take the matter further to the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board as written complaints.
The board is a ministerially appointed body corporate in charge of registrations and licensing for the industry.
When a complaint is laid with the board, it initially checks its merits, and if it is deemed valid it will be examined by an independent qualified investigator.
The board can ultimately choose to bring the case before the District Court.
Chairwoman Hazel Armstrong said the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board took breaches of the licensing regulation very seriously.
"The industry is regulated for a reason. It is not just to maintain high standards of the trade, but to ensure the safety of the customers," she said.
Ms Armstrong pointed out that part of the responsibility lay with the consumer.
"New Zealanders have a very practical attitude to regulation, and often think that everyone can `do it themselves', but that mentality can come at a high price and risk.
"The board therefore intends to launch an information campaign next year to raise awareness within the industry, local government and the public of the importance of using only licensed tradesmen," she said.
