In 2020 NZDJA responded to the request from Dogs NZ for more judges to cope with the COVID environment we found ourselves facing. And respond we did. We took radical steps to “fast Track” NZ judges through the examination system.

The effect of the regulation changes was both good and not so good. Firstly the good:-

1. We had an unprecedented level of both aspiring and group applications.  
2. The fast tracking allowed us to promote judges who would otherwise have been several years away from completing the requirements.   
3. Many specialist clubs have contracted Peer Judges for their shows, and we have had at least one peer judge successfully apply for the aspiring panel and is now working towards the Ribbon Parade panel.

Now the not so good:-

1. The high failure rate of the theory exams and in particular candidates sitting their 5^th, 6^th or 7^th group in the second round of exams. We were both surprised and disappointed and it highlighted that the lack of time between exams was a huge factor in the results.
2. Some of our open show judges are starting their career with an appointment of 150 plus dogs. We have realised that this, for many, is the proverbial “Baptism by Fire” and is both unfair for the trainee judge and unreasonable from an exhibitors perspective.  
3. We have had an unprecedented number of complaints regarding our NZ judges, mostly around poor ringcraft and breed knowledge.  
4. Running two sets of exams was challenging for the board and COVID lockdowns added another layer of difficulty.

From a Board perspective, this last 12 months have opened our eyes to several things. Firstly, we didn’t anticipate the level of support from exhibitors for open shows, this dramatically changed the traditional entry type and numbers at these shows. Secondly, the deficiencies in our training programme for new judges who were being placed directly onto the open show panel. And thirdly, the realisation that many of our judges are approaching exams with a much lower level of preparation than we have previously seen.

We are committed to producing quality judges who have a thorough understanding of dog judging, the breeds they are studying, and who will represent us well on the world stage when we are once again able to. Unfortunately, the “COVID Regulations” did not entirely support that vision and to continue with them in their current format doesn’t make sense. It has, however, given us the opportunity to step outside the box and test what works and what doesn’t.

So – where to from here?

It was always our intention to review the regulations prior to November 2021 and assess their success or otherwise. We have completed this review and have opted to essentially return to a version of the “pre COVID” regs retaining some of the things which had positive benefits. A copy of the regulations can be downloaded here. Changes are:-

1. Reinstatement of the Ribbon Parade Panel.
2. Reinstatement of the requirement for Judges seeking promotion to the Open Show panel to have judged at Ribbon Parade level (at least 5 parades and at least 100 dogs.) and sat and passed an examination on Rules and Regulations and Glossary of Terms.  
3. Limiting the first 2 open show appointments to the group they aspire to and no more than 2 others.
4. Limiting the number of dogs an open show judge can judge in any one day to 150 (currently 250) – Note, this is a show regulation so Dogs NZ has been asked to support this.  
5. Retaining the requirement for an open show judge to have at least 2 favourable observations before they can apply for a group panel.
6. Increasing the number of dogs judged at second group level from 300 to 400 before application to the third group.
7. Reinstating practical examinations for 5^th, 6^th & 7^th group candidates.
8. Retaining banking of exams but from the 4^th group onwards and one exam pass only.
9. Retaining 100 breed questions and reinstating 20 Rules and Regs and Glossary of terms for 5^th, 6^th & 7^th group candidates.
10. Leaving the peer judging in place. 

We are very aware that our judges in training need more support and experience which has been a major consideration in these changes. You will note changes in the Appendices which outline the National Training Guide and the mandatory training requirements. We are in the process of implementing online training and this is ready to start rolling out now with stage one which is the new breed open book exams. Stage two is the Aspiring Modules which we are on target to have available online for the next round of applications in 2022.  We are also committed to providing more support and resources to our branches to assist them with the training component of their meetings. 

We will only be holding one set of exams in 2022. Important dates for these exams are:-

31^st August 2021  – Effective date of breed standards
1^st December 2021 – Effective date of new judges regulations
31^st January 2022 –  Application close off.
22^nd March 2022 – Theory Exams

Practical exam dates are currently being finalised, but we are hoping these will be in July.