TAKING ISSUE WITH PRICE ON INDUSTRY INTEGRITY

In the January 2020 issue of New Zealand Classic Car (page 66) your columnist, Greg Price, makes inaccurate claims about the recent consultation conducted by NZTA regarding the proposed Managing Integrity of Used Vehicle Certification Inspection and Inspection Organisations – Operational Policy.

Specifically he claims that VINZ, through its parent, has a financial interest in vehicles it inspects. VINZ does not import vehicles and has no financial interest in those vehicles. The vehicles inspected by VINZ are owned by dealers and no Vinz-associated party has a financial interest in them. Further, VINZ is functionally separated from other entities in the Optimus Group and has adopted best practice international standards for the identification and management of conflicts of interest.

Both the Auditor General and the State Services Commission have prepared guidelines on management of conflicts of interest:

“In a small country like New Zealand, conflicts of interest in our working lives are natural and unavoidable. The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily mean that someone has done something wrong. But organisations need good policies and processes to deal with conflicts of interest appropriately.” (Conflicts of Interest, State Services Commission, November 2019)

Your columnist mentions the volume of submissions, yet selects but a single example, one whose claims are not supported by any evidence. If your readers are interested in fact and evidence rather than unsubstantiated claims, they may wish to look at VINZ’S submissions. In the interests of transparency, we’ve made these available [links were provided].

They are based on robust and full data, detailed analysis, material gathered under OIA and expert opinion. To summarise the principal points VINZ made in its submission: the proposed policy was the result of bias and pre-determination; it was not based on any evidence of safety risk; parts of it were illegal; it was inconsistent, impractical and extreme; it was contrary to international best practice for managing conflicts of interest; and it would have a detrimental effect on the industry.

The review conducted by NZTA was fair, thorough and evidence-based and it achieved an outcome that was in the best interests of both the industry and the vehicle-buying public. As a consequence of the process, the industry is now working together to ensure that conflicts, whether actual potential or perceived, are appropriately managed, as the safety of the New Zealand vehicle fleet is of paramount importance to all parties.

Gordon Shaw

Chairman Inspection Segment Strategy Committee

Chief Secretary Conflict of Interest COI Council