Wong Pansy: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
Wong Pansy: Land Transport Amendment Bill — Second Reading Instruction to Committee In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:626;Page:21348] 
PANSY WONG (National) 
: 
 I am really glad to have the opportunity to participate in the second reading of the Land Transport Amendment Bill. I understand that the National Party is supportive of the bill. 
I challenge the self-proclaimed hard-working Minister for Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven to take into account my proposed amendments during the Committee stage that will further improve the objective of the bill. This bill’s purpose is meant to be to “promote and enhance provisions in that transport legislation relating to safe road user behaviour” and also to “improve and enhance the enforcement provisions of that transport legislation.” 
As I have previously raised in Parliament in 2003 a group of Chinese New Zealanders who were driving instructors raised a whole series of concerns with regard to other driving instructors with or without licences and their practices. I see that after 2 years one of those concerns has been taken up in this legislation. But there are other concerns that I would like to take this opportunity to raise so that we can consider amendments during the Committee stage. 
Amongst the concerns raised by those driving instructors was one about driving instructors who are allowed to teach driving in exchange for reward or money currently having to have an I endorsement licence. I am assured that this legislation includes an offence provision which was previously for some reason omitted from the Land Transport Act 1998. But the bill does not require that those I licences be displayed. So there is no way for an enforcement officer to check whether a person is entitled to teach in exchange for monetary reward. So I will move an amendment and I hope that all parties see fit to support it at the Committee stage. 
I will move another amendment relating to people who are allowed to teach in exchange for monetary reward. I would like to think they are currently New Zealand citizens or holders of permanent residence visas. I allude to the fact that overseas students can obtain an I endorsement in order to teach others to drive. I do not think that is safe. For me it is important that people who teach others in a commercial manner should at least have been resident in New Zealand for a considerable period of time. Those people should understand the road conditions and the safety measures that go with that. 
I also want to raise concerns which I have written to the Minister about in terms of the lack of monitoring of some of the outrageous advertisements that say learners can choose their own testing officer. The Minister has written to me and assured me that Land Transport New Zealand has now taken the issue seriously and will monitor those advertisements. But I hasten to point out that the  
Mandarin Times 
 a Chinese newspaper dated 10 June—last Friday—included a driving school’s advertisement that said learners could choose their own testing officer the testing route and also to have weekend testing. In response to my query the Minister stated that the special test to be carried out on weekends is meant to facilitate a group of people who seek their licence at the same time. If that is the case why are there at least eight advertisements on the same day in which every one of those driving schools or instructors offers people the option of sitting the driving test at weekends? I imagine that people want to sit it at the weekend because the traffic tends to be slightly lighter then but that is no way to improve driving safety on New Zealand roads. 
The other concern raised with me by some of the driving instructors was about the 6-month minimum requirement before the holder of a learner’s licence can convert it to a full licence. I would like the Minister later on to share with us whether there is actually discretion for a testing officer to grant dispensations for migrants in some situations. If migrants have had a long period of driving experience in their home countries and can demonstrate once they have passed the written test that they are capable drivers can they then convert a learner’s licence into a full licence? On some occasions migrants who have had sufficient driving experience find it inconvenient to have to wait 6 months. That may lead to their resorting to acquiring a licence without sitting the practical test which they are not allowed to sit. We should discuss that issue. 
All in all given that the bill’s purpose is to promote and enhance enforcement provisions I have been wondering what Land Transport New Zealand has done with regard to the latest sentencing handed out to a driver’s licence testing officer. He got only 280 hours’ community service for selling about 100 fake licences—genuine licences in one sense but fake in the sense that the people who had acquired those licences had never sat the practical driving test. I want to know whether Land Transport New Zealand is serious about enforcing safety on roads. Is the authority appealing the sentence? Is it working with the police to appeal that light sentence handed out to a driver’s licence testing officer who accepted $50 in exchange for granting a licence to people who had not sat the test? I want to know whether the Minister is serious about making sure that the people who paid to get those licences have their licences revoked. It is no laughing matter even though Labour members may find it funny. Over 100 people might be driving on our roads without properly passing the driving test— 
Jim Peters 
: Only 100? 
PANSY WONG 
: —well it could be more—endangering their own lives and other people’s lives. I challenge Labour members to stop laughing and get serious about ensuring safety on New Zealand roads. 
I am looking forward to the Minister taking a call in the Committee stage to assure New Zealanders that corrupt officers will be pursued and that Land Transport New Zealand will appeal the sentence of 280 hours of community service that was dished out to an officer who had received bribes in exchange for handing out licences to people who had not passed the driving test. 
Today we are debating the Land Transport Amendment Bill which is supposed to strengthen the enforcement capacity of Land Transport New Zealand and I want to know whether the Minister will ensure that the provisions are tough enough and whether there are the resources and the will for Land Transport New Zealand to enforce the provisions. I am looking forward to the Minister’s support for the amendments I will propose in the Committee stage and I also want an answer as to what further action the Minister will take with regard to the recent sentencing of the officer found guilty of accepting bribes to issue licences. 
Bill read a second time.