NZTA suspends vehicle inspector Onehunga and contacted 5000 drivers for a new audit

The New Zealand Transportation Agency has suspended two vehicle inspectors in Auckland to obtain a warrant to audit the defective state of health.

The NZTA also urged more than 5,000 drivers who had obtained an aptitude warrant from their inspection center to have their car checked.

The agency said this afternoon it suspended Susantha Ranatunga, who worked at Onehunga at Church Street Motors and Tires.

The suspension was limited to Ranatunga and the company retained its physical fitness license.

"Mr. Ranatunga was non-compliant in almost every area of ​​his technical inspections," NZTA said.

"This included brakes, seat belts, steering, headlights and windshield wipers, bodywork, tires, and exhaust systems.

"We are not aware of any specific concerns about individual vehicles, but due to the poor quality of Mr. Ranatunga's inspections, it is possible that some vehicles have been mishandled.

"For this reason, we strongly encourage those with a current health mandate issued by Mr. Ranatunga to have their vehicle checked."

The NZTA also announced that it had suspended its tire control and wheel alignment business in the Wairau Valley. The company's only inspector, Anderson Lee, has been suspended as an inspector.

The Transportation Agency stated that Lee did not check certain aspects of the vehicles during the WoF assessments and that an unauthorized person was conducting inspections on behalf of Lee.

He indicated that he would contact all concerned vehicle owners individually as soon as possible to inform them of the verification options. This would cover the cost of new audits.

In all, he contacted 4053 motorists controlled by Ranatunga and 993 motorists controlled by Lee.

Transportation Minister Phil Twyford announced last month that the NZTA's board of directors has commissioned the law firm Meredith Connell to review 850 outstanding compliance files and has resumed its compliance function as it does not had not fulfilled its regulatory responsibilities.

About 10,000 cars across the country are expected to need new checks.