Probe CAA Director says Winston Peters
NZ Herald
09.06.05
New Zealand First has called for an investigation into the running of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over reported serious allegations against director John Jones.
Using parliamentary privilege, party leader Winston Peters said a 2004 Auditor-General report about the CAA's performance on safety issues had found Mr Jones had conflicts of interest.
Mr Jones had broken the Civil Aviation Act - laws he was supposed to enforce - by refusing to license companies such as South Taranaki firm Heli Logging, which uses Wessex helicopters, and GarLyn Skydiving, Mr Peters said.
"Not on the grounds of safety but for no other obvious reason than that those companies are in competition with other companies that are close to the director, and if that is not a conflict of interest, what is?"
Mr Peters said the Government expected the aviation industry to settle for a "woolly, internal, independent inquiry from a 'holistic perspective'."
Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven confirmed that complaints had been made by some sectors of the aviation industry. But he said the Government had investigated the issues previously and new procedures ensured conflicts of interest would not occur.
- NZPA