FROM NZ TAXI FEDERATION

Media Release
June 24, 2005

Taxi Federation Will Seek Support From Ministers

The Auditor General’s damning report on the way government agencies have ignored their responsibilities for the operation of New Zealand’s taxi industry has been welcomed by the NZ Taxi Federation.

Federation Executive Director Tim Reddish says the report, Effectiveness of controls over the taxi industry, highlighted the failures of Land Transport New Zealand in its treatment of the industry and taxi users for more than a decade.

The Auditor General’s report chastises the LTNZ (and its predecessor the LTSA) for the way its earlier report of 1997 was ignored, and states that in the intervening period the situation in the taxi industry has deteriorated further.

“This points to systemic failure within a government agency. It is not that the LTNZ did not know of the need for stronger compliance in New Zealand’s open entry taxi system. It is that the LTNZ did not care to act, and apply the necessary controls. For LTNZ, addressing it failures was simply not a priority.

“The Federation is now seeking the support of the Ministers of Transport Safety and Transport, Mr Duynhoven and Mr Hodgson, for the implementing the recommendations of the Auditor General’s report. We want to ensure that the LTNZ’s excuses won’t be tolerated.”

Mr Reddish says that when New Zealand’s open-entry taxi system was introduced, the need for strong compliance was acknowledged.

“Regrettably there was no such compliance. When this failing was drawn to the attention of the then-LTSA by the Auditor General in 1997, it was ignored. Seven years later we have the farcical situation where the LTNZ is saying taxi numbers had taken it by surprise. That simply does not wash. It is just another excuse.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media