Principal Fire Testing Engineer
Peter Whiting has spent his career at the frontline of fire safety research – shaping the standards that protect buildings and the people inside them.
Peter Whiting is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading fire safety experts, with more than 30 years of experience in fire safety research, testing, and standards development. His pioneering methods have helped shape fire standards in the New Zealand Building Code and earned him an Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award from Fire Protection Association New Zealand (2024).
Peter oversaw the development of BRANZ’s new fire testing laboratory – one of the largest and most advanced in the Southern Hemisphere. The facility provides independent fire testing, safety engineering, and R&D for manufacturers and suppliers – services that will become critical as a warmer climate and denser housing reshape fire risk.
Peter manages a team of fifteen specialised engineers, technicians, and support staff, and serves on national standards committees in both Australia and New Zealand. He holds postgraduate qualifications in fire risk engineering and fire-related performance-based building codes from the Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne.
"I enjoy helping people navigate the complexity of fire safety in buildings, from compliance pathways to the testing and verification needed to satisfy the building code."
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Building Science, Victoria University of Wellington, Te Heranga Waka
- Bachelor of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, Te Heranga Waka
- Grad Cert in Performance‑Based Building & Fire Codes, Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne
- Grad Diploma in Building Fire Safety and Risk Engineering, Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne
Industry participation
- Fire Protection Association New Zealand (FPA NZ), member
- National and joint Australia–New Zealand standards committees
- New Zealand Building Code requirements and fire safety provisions, consultant