JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) Link to this
This Motor Vehicle Sales Amendment Bill makes vehicle traders accountable, and provides consumers with redress through the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal. The Motor Vehicle Sales Act promotes and protects consumer interests. We want to create an environment of confidence and informed choice for consumers. This bill is in line with the National-led Government’s efforts to reform regulations, cut red tape, and reduce compliance costs. Reforming regulations is one of National’s six policy drivers to boost the long-term performance of the economy, create jobs, lift incomes, raise living standards, and provide the high-quality public services that Kiwi families need.
The general purpose of this bill is to amend the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003 to improve its workability and transparency. By way of background, the Act introduced a new compulsory registration regime for motor vehicle traders, and new disclosure requirements for used motor vehicles. A review reported back in 2006 some areas that required amendment, and those changes form the basis of this bill. The amendment bill suggests changes to the registration of motor vehicle traders, to information disclosure, and to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal by amending the process for traders renewing their annual registration and by reducing compliance costs associated with making annual statutory declarations as part of registration renewal. The bill also closes a loophole preventing the automatic banning of traders whose registration has lapsed but who are subsequently convicted under the Act for misconduct while registered.
The bill removes the requirement for a private seller to display a consumer information notice when selling a vehicle through a car market. However, the recommendation of the Commerce Committee is that clause 7 be amended to make it clear that the Motor Vehicle Sales Act requires motor vehicle traders to display a consumer information notice when displaying or offering for sale a used motor vehicle physically, or when displaying or offering for sale a used motor vehicle over the Internet when a contract to buy the motor vehicle can be entered into online. That is to distinguish between Internet advertisements that offer the ability to enter into a contract to buy the vehicle online, and therefore should display a consumer information notice, and advertisements that are effectively classified advertisements, for which the provision of a consumer information notice would be an unnecessary and onerous requirement.
These measures will bring improvements to the bill. As I said before, this bill is in line with National’s commitment to reduce regulatory compliance costs. At the same time it promotes and protects consumer interests in order to create an environment of confidence and efficiency by making vehicle traders accountable and providing consumers with redress through the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal. Thank you.
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, kia ora tātou katoa i tēnei ahiahi. Kua tū ake tēnei ki te tautoko, me kī, i te tikanga o tēnei o ngā pire ka whakatakotohia ki mua aroaro o te Whare. Mēnā ko tōna pūtake ko te tiaki i te hunga hoko waka nei, ka pai, ka pai, ka pai. Kei te whaiwhai haere tēnei pire i wētahi i whakatakotohia ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare i ngā rā tata hui kaikā kua hipa ake, arā, ki te tiaki i te hunga e tuku nei i ō rātau moni mō tētahi mea pēnei anō rā i te waka, i ngā motokā. E ai ki tā te pire, ko te tino pūtake o tēnei he whakatakoto tikanga, hei whakahōu i te āhuatanga o tā rātau rēhita ā-tau. Ka mutu, ko tōna tikanga he whakawhānui atu, mē kī, i te kupenga, i ngā here mō te hunga kua whakatahangia nā ngā mahi tūkino pea, ngā mahi hē pea kua kitea mai ai i ngā tau, arā, me kī, mō te hunga tuku kōrero hē nei me te mea anō hoki, ko ngā rēhita, me kī, kua oti pai te wāhi ki ngā rēhita o tērā momo hunga. Nō reira, ā, pai tonu ēnei kōrero katoa koinei mātau e tautoko nei.
Ka mutu, hei whakaatu i te āhuatanga o te pūmau, o te tino hiahia o te Kāwanatanga ki te kōkiri i tēnei take, ko tētahi o ngā take o te pire nei, he whakawhānui atu i te titiro o tēnei pire, arā, kia whānui tonu te titiro o te Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal. Ko tā rātau mēnā ka whakatakoto whaina ki runga i tēnei hunga, kua piki haere tērā mai i te rima tekau mano tāra, ki te kotahi rau mano tāra i raro i te āhuatanga o tēnei ture.
I tino aro atu au ki ngā kōrero o te hunga o roto o te Community Law Centre o Ōtepoti. Ko tā rātau ko te tino tautoko i te tikanga o tēnei pire, ka mutu, ko tā rātau tino kōrero, ko te kī atu he pai ki a rātau kia whakaatu wētahi kōrero i runga i ngā waka, hei kupu āwhina ki te hunga hokohoko nei i ngā waka. Nō reira ki taku titiro he mea āwhina tēnei. Mēnā ka puta mai, me kī, ngā kōrero tautohetohe, taupatupatu rānei, mō te pai rānei, kino rānei o te waka e hokona nei, ka mutu, te tūmanako ka tiaki pai i te āhuatanga, me kī, ka noho hei kupu kōrero hei tiaki i te hunga e hoko nei i ngā waka.
Ki a au nei e tika ana kia mōhio mai ai te hunga hoko i ngā waka mēnā, ka rere tika tonu te moni ki runga i te rawa pai, ka mutu, kia mōhio mai ai mēnā he moni kei runga, he nama rānei kei runga tonu i te waka, pēhea te tawhiti o te waka, pēhea te roa, me kī, te tawhiti o te haere o te waka, ka mutu, mēnā e tika ana te whakaaetanga ā-tika, me te rēhita o taua waka. Nō reira he pai kōrero pai ēnei hei whakatakoto ki runga pepa. Kei te tautoko te Pāti Māori i tēnei, ka mutu, kei te tautoko ake i te kōrero a te taraipiunara i te pire nei, ki te kī, me pānui whānuitia ngā kōrero ki runga i te ipurangi, kia taea ai e te motu whānui tonu te kite atu i te whakahaere o ētahi o ngā kamupene nei. Nā, me pai ēnei i te mea, me whakanui i te Minita mō ngā Take Consumer Affairs i tana aronga i tēnei take.
Engari, anei anō ētahi pātai hei mea whakatakoto ki mua i a ia, hei wānanga māna ā ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro. E toru ngā take. Tuatahi, me kī, ko te tūmanako ka āta titiro ia ki ngā here ā-waka nei mō ngā tamariki, mō ngā mokopuna kei roto i ngā waka. I puta mai tēnei kōrero i te rōpū e kīa ana, ko Te Puāwaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust. I roto i te āhuatanga o tā rātau titiro, me kī, ki ngā āhuatanga e pā ana ki ngā tamariki, te hauora o ngā tamariki, i roto i ngā waka ā-whānau. E ai ki tā rātau, o ngā motokā, o ngā waka tekau, e rua o aua waka, he tamariki kei roto, ehara i te mea kei te herea nā te tātua. Ka mutu, o ia rima waka me ērā here ā-tūru, kotahi anake e tika ana tana here ki roto i te waka. Nō reira, e tika ana me tumeke tātau ki ērā momo kaute. Ko tā rātau, ko te kī atu me titiro ki tēnei āhuatanga, me kaha tiaki tātau i ngā tamariki mai i te whānautanga mai ki roto i ngā tūru here, hei tiaki i ngā tamariki i roto i ngā waka. Nō reira anei au e pātai nei, ā, mēnā tekau mā ono tamariki ka mate ia tau, nā runga i te āhuatanga mō ngā aituā i te rori, me tūpato ka tika. Ka mutu, rua rau, whitu tekau mā rima o rātau, o ngā tamariki o te motu, me kī, ka heria ki te hōhipera. Nō reira ēnei kōrero katoa he whakatūpato i a tātau, me te mea anō hoki, te tūmanako ia ka tirohia tēnei take e te Minita.
Ko te take tuarua ko te hunga haere kore raihana. Karekau he paku raihana ki te kī atu, anei, kua mana taku taraiwa i te waka. E ai ki tā tētahi rangahau i roto i te Injury Prevention Research Unit i te Kura Rongoā o Ōtautahi, te whare wānanga ki taku mōhio, e ai ki tā rātau rangahau, waru rau, rua tekau mā rima o ngā taraiwa Māori, he taraiwa Māori i roto i ngā tāone, me kī, i tuawhenua. Nō reira ko tēnei mahi ko te taraiwa kore raihana i waenganui i te iwi Māori, kei waenganui i a tātau. Kai konei te mahi, he taraiwa kore raihana. Ka mutu, i roto i tētahi atu o ngā rangahau, me kī, mai i te AA Driver Education Foundation, i kawe haere i ētahi rangahau i roto i Te Tai Tokerau, i puta te kōrero, iwa tekau mā rua paihēneti, iwa tekau mā rua paihēneti o ngā tangata taraiwa nei i Te Tai Tokerau, karekau he raihana. Iwa tekau mā rua paihēneti. Ka mutu, rua tekau o ēnei tāngata, kāore i āhei ki te whiwhi i te raihana, nā te kore mōhio ki te tuhi, ki te pānui i ngā kōrero. Nō reira he mea ohorere tēnei ki a au, otirā me pērā ki te Whare. Ka mutu, i puta te kōrero o te etitā me kī te kaiwhakatika kōrero o te Car Buyers Guide. Ko tā rātau e kī nei, me titiro te kāwanatanga ki te tuku pūtea hei āwhina, me kī, i tēnei hunga kore mōhio ki te pānui, ki te tuhi rānei, kia taea ai e rātau te whiwhi i te raihana. Me hoki anō rā ki tērā kōrero, rua tekau paihēneti kāre i te mōhio ki te pānui, ki te tuhi. Nō reira koinei te whakahau ki te Minita.
Ko te take whakamutunga ko tērā, ko te āta titiro, me kaha nei ki te panapana haere, ki te tautoko rānei i te kōrero, arā, ko te anti - drink-driving campaign. Me kaha a ia ki te tautoko i tērā kaupapa i te mea, te āhua nei ia wiki, ia wiki ka kōrerohia ko te āhuatanga o te taraiwa haurangi nei, i roto i te Whare.
Nō reira, koinei ngā whakatūpato, tuatahi, arā me titiro ki ngā here ā-tamariki i roto i ngā waka. Ka rua, ko te hunga taraiwa kore raihana. Ka toru, me kaha nei ki te tautoko i tērā kōrero mō te taraiwa kore haurangi. Nō reira kāti ake, koinei tāku hei tautoko i te ia o tēnei o ngā pire, me te tūmanako ia ka aro mai te Minita ki ēnei kōrero.
[Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to us all this afternoon. I rise to support this bill before the House in respect of its purpose. If its purpose is to protect car buyers, then that is great, fine, and wonderful. The goal of this bill, in terms of protecting the rights of buyers when purchasing vehicles, is consistent with that of other bills that have come before the House during urgency in days just past. The bill amends the process for motor vehicle traders to renew their annual registration. In addition, it extends the range of people banned from car trading, such as those who stoop to giving false registration information or those who have lapsed registrations. Because all these measures make pretty good sense to us, we support the bill.
To show that the Government is taking this seriously, it intends increasing the jurisdiction of the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal for offences under the Act from $50,000 to $100,000.
I was interested in the views of the Dunedin Community Law Centre, which strongly supported the consumer focus of this bill. It was particularly aware of the requirement for traders to display a consumer information notice on vehicles, to help consumers in disputes that relate to misrepresentations about the condition of vehicles for sale. That will provide some protection from scurrilous characters.
I believe it is important for consumers to know whether there is money owing on a car, the distance travelled by the car, and as well to have the warrant of fitness and vehicle registration information. The Māori Party is supporting this bill and, further to that, the decision for tribunal findings to be made available on the Internet, and the focus on greater transparency and accountability. This is a positive move, and we congratulate the Minister of Consumer Affairs on her initiative in this regard.
However, I ask the Minister to consider a few other areas, of which there are three priorities. Priority one is to ensure the use, and correct use, of child restraints. This is a proposal from Te Puāwaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust, which in its role as a Well Child provider has been working on vehicle safety within families. The trust tells us that two cars out of 10 have children travelling unsecured, and only one in five car seats is fitted properly. We should be shocked at those figures. The trust believes there is a need to promote and protect our children from birth, and for them to be in a suitable, correctly fitted child restraint each time they are in a vehicle. And if we have to ask why we should do that, we might think of the 16 children who die each year as a result of a motor vehicle accident, and of the 275 who are hospitalised. So this is a warning to everyone, and hopefully this matter will be considered by the Minister.
Priority two is the issue of unlicensed drivers. A study was conducted by the injury prevention unit at Christchurch school of medicine of 824 Māori drivers in urban and rural areas. It found that driving before obtaining a driver’s licence was common practice. Another study by the AA Driver Education Foundation of young people in Northland showed that 92 percent had no licence, and 20 percent of these people could not get a licence because they were illiterate. This was a surprise to me, and it should be a surprise to the House. The editor of the car buyers’ guide The Dog and Lemon Guide is calling for the Government to fund a scheme to help those who are illiterate to get a licence. I turn our attention once again to the fact that 20 percent of those drivers are illiterate, and I urge the Minister to take that into consideration.
The final priority I would put to the Minister is to drive the anti - drink-driving campaign hard, because every week the consequences of drink-driving are often mentioned in the House.
So these are words of caution that, firstly, child restraints be considered; secondly, about the unlicensed drivers; and, thirdly, about the need for a concerted effort to support the anti - drink-driving campaign. That is enough. I support the thrust of this bill and hope that the Minister will show due concern about what has been presented. ]