LTSA work creation scheme - please assist they need meaningful employment now.

[Tony]

Well I have to admitt I am gob smacked. I acutally got a reply to the email I sent on this issue from the Hon Harry Duynhoven (Minister for Transport Safety) .

Here's the key bits.


"Thank you for you email of 28 August 2008...

...I am aware of the situation you have written about. Unfortunatelty a change in law will be needed to address it. A proposal to overcome this problem is included in the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Amendment Rule (the Rule). which is currently being prepared by transport officials, for public consultation. The proposed change to the Rule is that where an application for a new class of driver license meets all of the reqluirements for renewal, it will be renewed when that application is processsed. This will also apply to endorsement to licenses....

...I trust this information reassures you that the matter is being addressed, and that the renewal process will be improved in due course.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about this situation

Yours sincerely
Hon Harry Duynhoven
Minister for Transport Safety"

All I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised and impressed.

[Tony]

I finally bit the bullet and went and paid to renew my one month old license. Sure enough they asked me to hand over my old license. However the guy behind the counter at AA Westgate agreed to cut it in half - he kept the half with all the details on it and passed me the half with my photo on it. It seemed like that this was a familiar request to him. As always it seems it's evident that it depends on who you strike on just how they interpret their rules.

I did some further research on this and they do have the legislation to support the need to surrender your old license (ref section 30, Clause 4(a), Land Transport Act 1998). The move to get you to hand over your old license was possibly done due to a request from retailers who wanted to be able to use the drivers license as photo ID and didn't want old licenses passed on to younger siblings etc. We are getting dangerously close to a situation where the LTSA is endorsing a policy that requires us to carry photo ID. However there appears to be no supporting legislation that requires you to hand over your old licenses.

Maybe someone can advise if I am missing something here?

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regul...DLM280562.html