An Auckland man has been convicted in the first prosecution of its kind for issuing more than 900 Warrant of Fitness (WoF) unlawfully.
Brett Wayne Robinson was taken to court by Waka Kotahi after he dishonestly accessed the Motor Vehicle Register to carry out WoF inspections.
Robinson was never hired by Waka Kotahi NZTA as a vehicle inspector, according to the agency’s senior manager for safer vehicles Nicole Botherway, who also claimed Robinson was issuing WoFs using the information of a vehicle inspector who was no longer employed.
He was sentenced to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay costs.
“He issued over 900 WoFs – that’s over 900 vehicle owners and their passengers, and anyone travelling the same roads as these vehicles who had their safety potentially put at risk,” Botherway said.
During the initial investigation, Waka Kotahi cancelled all of Robinson’s WoFs as well as the inspecting organisation appointment that he and his business partner had been holding. Owners of vehicles had to get a new WoF from elsewhere.
According to Botherway, owners of vehicles depend on vehicle inspectors to carry out checks honestly and to guarantee that a passed WoF means their vehicle is safe.
“We have appointed over 8000 vehicle inspectors at more than 3500 inspecting organisations and the vast majority of them carry out vehicle inspections correctly,” Botherway said.
“For their sake, and for the public of New Zealand, it’s important we protect the integrity of the system and act when we do find fraudulent behaviour.”
The Waka Kotahi safer vehicles team’s responsibility is to examine inspection agencies and vehicle inspectors to ensure compliance. The team has a variety of instruments to make sure the appropriate regulatory response is done, including enforcement action, if substantial non-compliance is discovered.
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.