Car dealers seek action on Japan-owned rivals
An anonymous group of vehicle dealers, inspectors and importers says a formal warning by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to Japanese vehicle companies accused of potential conflicts of interest doesn’t go far enough.
The group is fronted by a public relations agent because it claims members were afraid of business reprisals in Japan – including from the Yakuza crime syndicate, whom it says has influence in Japanese ports.
One of the local car operators, ‘‘John’’, spoke by telephone to Stuff. ‘‘They’d squash me like a bug if they knew my identity. Our group is made up of small and large firms so confidentiality is very important to us,’’ he said.
He claimed there was a ‘‘potential’’ risk for Kiwi families buying cars because a New Zealand subsidiary of Japanese holding company Optimus Group imported vehicles while another subsidiary tested them.
Optimus subsidiary Japanese Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (Jevic) inspects vehicles in Japan, while Nichibo Japan Trading imports and sells them, and Jevicowned Vehicle Inspection New Zealand (Vinz) tests them in New Zealand and carries out any necessary repairs.
The anonymous group wants the NZTA to revoke the licence of one or more of the companies involved, which deal with about 60 per cent of Japanese imports.
A spokesman for the Optimusowned companies said the conflict of interest was only ‘‘potential’’ and no actual conflict arose.
‘‘Vehicle inspections were never improperly influenced ... [and] public safety was never compromised,’’ he said.
‘‘Vinz and Jevic NZ are part of the inspection division of Optimus Group. We are independent operationally and in governance from other operating companies in the group.’’
The corporation had commissioned and received an independent review from Deloitte.
Documents obtained under the Official Information Act show Optimus subsidiaries failed to notify NZTA of the 2015 purchase of Vinz until May 2016 and thus breached its Notice of Appointment, resulting in the warning.
Potential conflicts of interest have been identified ‘‘as an area of serious concern’’ by the NZTA, which said it was ‘‘carrying out a thorough review of all policies relating to conflicts of interest to establish what changes are required to prevent similar situations from occurring’’.