21 November 2012

Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule to be updated

The Government has amended the 2007 Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule following public consultation, Associate Minister of Transport Simon Bridges has announced.

“It’s important for both people’s health and the safety of vehicles entering the fleet that this rule is updated. In general, the newer the vehicle, the higher the standard of safety features.”

The amended rule lifts standards for new vehicles from 1 November 2013, mirroring those agreed in Australia (which will be adopting Euro 5, the current European standard that significantly reduces harmful emissions from vehicles). The amended rule also introduces more recent standards from the US and Japan, as alternative standards.

“These changes will ensure New Zealand’s new vehicles meet the world’s best exhaust emissions standards.”

For vehicles entering the fleet for the first time, the new rule also clarifies that proof of compliance with emission standards cannot be shown by a simple emissions test. Compliance with a standard can now only be shown using documentation provided by an approved body. This had been an area of uncertainty for some importers.

The new rule also extends the current standards for used vehicles beyond the end of this year, as they would otherwise have expired. Improved standards for used vehicles were recently introduced – in early 2012 for petrol vehicles and in 2010 for diesel vehicles – and will be reviewed again in 2014.

“In addition, and in response to comments made in submissions, I have asked my officials to look at what we can do in the lead up to the 2014 review to reduce emissions from vehicles already on our roads.”

The new rule will be in place from 1 January 2013.

Further information can be found at: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/rules/vehicle-exhaust-emissions-2007-index.html

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>