A regulatory compliance review of NZ Transport Agency’s “most urgent files” has been completed.
Law firm Meredith Connell, hired by NZTA to carry out the work, says the review has led to a significant increase in action and enforcement.
NZTA has started contacting around 10,000 owners whose vehicles may not have been properly checked during their regular warrant of fitness inspection.
The compliance file assessment has also led to the suspension of heavy vehicle certifiers arounf the country.
Timaru-based certifier Adam McFarlane and Auckland-based Patrick Chu were suspended in October.
This followed the suspensions of Wellington-based certifier Dick Joyce in June and Nelson-based certifier Peter Wastney in 2017 before the review.
“Significant progress has been made and reviews completed of the most urgent files where public safety was potentially at risk. We have provided recommendations to the Transport Agency. On the basis of these recommendations and following legal processes the Transport Agency is stepping up enforcement action for non-compliance across all regulatory areas for which it has responsibility,” managing partner Steve Haszard says.
“This work provides reassurance to New Zealanders that this review is prioritising safety for vehicle owners and road users. The Transport Agency is working hard to put things right.”
Most recently, the Transport Agency began contacting around 10,000 New Zealanders whose vehicles may not have been properly checked during their regular Warrant of Fitness inspection.
“This includes these vehicle owners having their vehicles re-checked free of charge via a Transport Agency voucher,” Haszard says.
Enforcement actions will become increasingly visible to the public in the coming weeks as further legal and other processes are continued. This will happen on a rolling basis.
“These actions do take time as we are legally bound to follow due process. For example, in some complex cases further investigation is required to meet evidentiary requirements or there are legal processes underway which need to run their course,” Haszard says.
Members of the public, businesses and media are also encouraged to keep up-to-date with further announcements of enforcement action by visiting the Transport Agency’s regulatory compliance review webpage which will be updated regularly.
