Nathan Guy local column – Important changes for drivers proposed
Some important changes to transport laws have been proposed recently and the Government wants to hear your feedback.
The Vehicle Licensing Reform project is looking at ways to improve the warrant of fitness process, and other registration issues.
The current setup has been in place for decades and affects every vehicle owner and driver. More than 14 million transactions are generated every year, and we want to make sure the rationale behind the systems is still clear and justified.
One of the ideas raised is to require a warrant of fitness every year, instead of the current six months required for most cars.
New Zealand’s WoF system – which began in the 1930s – has a higher number of inspections than systems in many other countries. It could be that some people rely too much on a WoF check as a substitute for on-going vehicle maintenance.
Over in Australia, a safety inspection is only required at change of ownership in Victoria and Queensland. Across the board, Australia has better road safety outcomes than New Zealand.
Potentially this could save millions of dollars in unnecessary costs and time for motorists.
About $245 million is paid in inspection fees each year and the time spent getting a warrant of fitness (WoF) is estimated at $100 million.
Safety, of course, remains a key issue and is an important part of the discussion document. You can have your say at www.transport.govt.nz with submissions closing on 31 October.
Another important rule change proposed is to require children aged up to 7 to be in an appropriate child restraint, and those aged between 7 and 8 will be required to use a child restraint if one is available.
Research shows that in a crash, young school-age passengers are at considerable risk if they are only restrained by an adult seatbelt.
This is a sensible move to help keep more of our children safe on the roads, and lines us up with Australia.
From my diary
*On Monday I was in the Waikato for racing visits, including a meeting with Sir Patrick Hogan at Cambridge Stud.
*Tuesday I was in Christchurch for forestry visits to see how timber is being used in innovative new ways for the city’s rebuild.
*Friday I am in Auckland to speak at the 95th commemoration of the Passchendaele battle.
*Saturday I’m attending the Te Horo Fire Awards, and Sunday I hope to run 10km at the annual Levin Harriers event at Koputaroa.
Local column – Grand openings for Kapiti and Horowhenua
I was proud to attend the grand openings of both Te Takere in Levin and the hockey turf pavilion in Paraparaumu last week – two major assets for our community.
A fundraising dinner last Friday celebrated the opening of Te Takere and there was a real sense of pride from everyone who has seen this project through.
During my speech I mentioned how I was appointed onto the Library Trust when I became a councillor in the late 1990s and a library upgrade was discussed way back then.
Now this vision has been delivered with a new community centre that combines the library with meeting rooms, local history displays, and café. I’m sure it will become a central meeting point for locals, and will bring new life to the Levin town centre.
A range of volunteers have worked extremely hard with a range of fundraising events. Quiz nights, guest speakers, a coffee club and a garden tour have been some of the local initiatives.
The open day on Saturday attracted thousands and it was great to see my kids interacting with others in the special children’s area. I reckon our younger generations will really benefit from this new upgrade.
Congratulations to everyone who’s been involved in fundraising and supporting Te Takere.
On Saturday I took part in the official opening of the Kapiti hockey turf pavilion, which is the final stage in this major project.
I remember being present for the sod turning in 2007 and running around in the invitation game on the new turf in 2009.
It can be used for all kinds of events and activities beyond just hockey and sport, and will be a real asset for the community. Already it has attracted a big domestic tournament next year with the potential to secure an international fixture in the future.
The whole community has really got behind this project and the result is outstanding.
The Kapiti Coast is one of the fastest growing areas in New Zealand and it’s about time we had facilities like this to call our own.
I’ve seen this happen in Levin where the hockey turf has become very popular since it was opened way back in 1999.
Well done to everyone who’s been behind these two projects. None of these big projects happen without vision, leadership, and community support.
From my diary
*Cabinet met on Monday but Parliament is in recess this week.
*Tuesday I was in Nelson looking at new forestry initiatives.
*The rest of the week is a mix of electorate duties and catching up with my kids during the school holidays.