A Wanganui man has his fingers-crossed that his new driving licence will finally arrive this week - after a six week wait, three temporary licences and four requests for his photograph.

Labour police spokesperson George Hawkins says the introduction of new driving licences has been a disaster from whoa to go, and the patience of the New Zealand public continues to be tested by the Government's ineptitude.

"The letters and calls coming in to my office combine to paint a disastrous picture.

"The ordeal faced by a 64 year old Wanganui man is a typical example.

"The AA seemed unable to work out how much his licence should cost or how long a period it should be for. They even wanted him to pay $300 to renew a bus licence he hadn't held for 30 years, but which has somehow turned up on his temporary licence.

"The LTSA office told him the confusion was of his own making, for going in 4 days before his birthday. That contradicts all the advice issued by the Government.

"Then things went really mad. His photo was deemed unusable, although no-one could explain why. He was forced to line up twice more to have photos taken. Last week a letter arrived requesting a fourth photo, 38 days after the first was taken.

"He was forced to drive from Wanganui to Palmerston North - using the third of his temporary licences - to try and sort out the mess. He's now been told to expect his new photo licence in the mail this week.

"No-one should have to put up with this level of incompetence," Mr Hawkins said.

"In the end, the Transport Minister Maurice Williamson must take responsibility for pushing through flawed legislation bringing in major reforms without the machinery in place to handle the changes."

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>