Engineer supports fights suspensions and claims NZTA is in 'disarray'

Monday, 29 October 2018

Engineering New Zealand has confirmed that it has also suspended the registration of two heavy vehicle engineers already suspended by NZTA.

Suspended heavy vehicle engineer Dick Joyce is fighting to save his business and his professional reputation.

Engineering New Zealand, which is responsible for the registration of chartered professional engineers, confirmed Joyce was removed from the register because he did not meet the minimum required standards and failed to demonstrate current competence in his most recent assessment.

Wellington engineer Dick Joyce is adamant that NZTA was unjustified in suspending his authority to certify heavy vehicles.

Joyce said he understood there would be a hearing over his de-registration which he would challenge.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) suspended Joyce in June following an audit of towing connections he had certified, and it asked the owners of 483 vehicles ranging from motorhomes to heavy trucks and buses to get them checked.

* Nearly 2000 truck trailer owners to be contacted by NZTA over tow connections

* Engineer suspended by NZTA was disciplined in 2013

* NZTA to pay for dodgy truck towbars and certifiers, class action possible**

Joyce said he was taking legal advice over how to challenge the NZTA's action, which focussed largely on heavy vehicle couplings, and Engineering NZ's decision to suspend his registration as a chartered engineer.

'Not one of the accusations they [NZTA] have made were justified … there were no failures, no accidents, no incidents, nowhere have they checked it and found that it was about to fail.'

In mid October Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced a review of NZTA for failing to properly enforce vehicle safety, a move Joyce said he supported because the agency was 'in total disarray,'

However, NZTA said it was acting responsibly in suspending Joyce because 'we were no longer satisfied that he was operating in a way that met required standards.'

A spokesman said a decision on whether to permanently revoke his appointment as a heavy vehicle certifier would be made once ongoing investigations were concluded, and decisions to suspend and revoke could both be appealed to the District Court.

Meanwhile Joyce's company, Dick Joyce Consultants Ltd, is under threat of deregistration by the Companies Office for failing to file an annual return unless it lodges an objection by late November.

Joyce said he and his accountant were still deciding whether to keep the company going or 'fold it,' but he had sold the certifying business to Tasman SV Consulting Wellington, which he had half shares in with engineer Bruce Burt.

NZTA suspended three other heavy vehicle certifiers - Patrick Chiu of Auckland, Adam McFarlane of Timaru and Peter Wastney of Nelson.

Engineering NZ said it had suspended Wastney from the Chartered Engineers' register because he had not submitted an application for reassessment, but Chu and McFarlane were not members of Engineering NZ or chartered engineers.

Meanwhile, NZTA has received 15 calls to a whistle blower hotline it set up to encourage transport industry workers or members of the public to report safety concerns.

Three of those calls had provided information relevant to current investigations.