Compliance backlog set to grow

Tackling the backlog of vehicles needing Warrants of Fitness (WOFs) has just become harder with Auckland’s shift to Covid-19 alert level three.

Greig Epps, advocacy and strategy manager at the Motor Trade Association (MTA), says about 300,000 cars have had WOFs expire this year and are yet to be renewed. 

The government has announced WOFs, Certificates of Fitness (COFs), driver licences and other documents temporarily extended because of the Covid-19 pandemic will need to be renewed by midnight on October 10.

Epps, pictured, says the number of vehicles needing new WOFs and COFs risks building up again if Auckland’s move to alert level three on August 12 extends beyond the initial three days.

“The backlog for compliance has been something that businesses have worked hard to tackle so a few days of slowing down at those sites means that backlog will now take a bit longer to chip away,” he adds.

“We know there are 300,000 cars that still need to be inspected from the earlier lockdown period and this shift to level three in Auckland will make it more difficult as businesses have to slow down operations.”

Vehicle Inspection New Zealand (VINZ) has confirmed it will remain open under the level three restrictions and reinstate social distancing measures and the use of personal protective equipment. AA Motoring Services is also maintaining compliance, testing and servicing work across Auckland, albeit under contactless protocols. 

Staying safe

The MTA is urging members to make sure they stay safe and follow government rules as Auckland goes to level three and the rest of the country heads to level two following the discovery of four new cases of Covid-19 not linked to international travel.

“We’re encouraging businesses to follow government guidance and pull out the plans and protocols that were talked about as we previously came out of level four and down through the alert levels,” Epps says.

“For car dealers, they will need to think about rebooking test drives and meetings in order to maintain social distancing and stay safe. 

“For anyone outside of Auckland, the key part is staying safe and keeping distances and the new request to consider using a mask if you’re going to be in close contact with people.”

Be prepared

Epps says the return to higher alert levels is also a reminder for businesses to ensure they keep Covid-19 safety plans at hand.

“We have been through this before and we know how to do this. It’s going to be an annoyance, especially the quick turnaround, but it shows that this is what we need to be ready for and we need to be ready to change with just a day’s notice or less.

“If you can’t operate safely, you need to consider perhaps reducing operations or closing down at the higher alert levels.

“At the moment, while the government says three days, I think the best thing is to be ready for that to go longer and to have processes in place for returning to these levels in the future. We do not know how many times this will happen and we need to be ready for it.”

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