Industry welcomes resignation of NZ Transport Agency boss

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Super Cheap Tyres and Auto Services in Auckland is on a growing list of garages and inspectors recently suspended by the NZTA following a review of its enforcement work.

A major overhaul of warrants of fitness may be on the cards following the resignation of NZ Transport Agency boss Fergus Gammie

On Monday Gammie announced he was quitting following a string of damning revelations about the agency's poor enforcement and the transport industry hopes his departure speeds up much needed change at the beleaguered organisation

Motor Trade Association (MTA) chief executive Craig Pomare said it was an opportunity to take a close look at outdated warrant of fitness (WOF) checks.

Inspections had changed little since their introduction in 1937 and needed to reflect the new technology in modern cars, such as blind spot monitoring.

Restructuring by NZ Transport Agency chief executive Fergus Gammie and his predecessor Geoff Dangerfield have been blamed for a drop in vehicle inspection standards.

'Our system just doesn't cope with that - we check the air bag light comes on, but otherwise we don't inspect the modern safety features to see they're working.'

A review of 850 outstanding agency files by law firm Meredith Connell has led to suspensions of dozens of vehicle inspectors, trucking companies and drivers, and Pomare believes there will be more to come as the review progresses.

He said he received daily calls from members angry at the poor practices that had come to light, such as allowing unqualified staff to issue WOFs. 'That's criminal.'

Road Transport Association chief executive Dennis Robertson says new leadership at the NZ Transport Agency should make safety a higher priority..

Vehicle inspectors only had to do 25 inspections annually to keep their ticket and MTA was keen to see mandatory professional development introduced.

'Accountants and lawyers do it, but they're not dealing with life and death situations, we think it's time to to professionalise the industry.'

Road Transport Association chief executive Dennis Robertson said there had been too much emphasis on building roads at the expense of enforcing safety standards and he hopes the appointment of a new chief executive sees the agency get back to the basics of identifying and dealing with risks.

'Rather than some management structure that looks good on a piece of paper.'

He said failure to strictly audit vehicle inspectors and trucking fleets meant serious issues such as cracked chassis or faulty brakes were going undetected.

'We've had members go into a testing station, get a brand new COF (certificate of fitness), and less than 1000km later they're pulled over at a roadside inspection and police find major problems.

'I attend 50 member meetings a year and I'd hear that 25 times.

'A lot of faith has been put in the system and there hasn't been a lot of testing as to whether that system is robust or not,' Robertson said.