VIA pushes for policy talks

The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (VIA) hopes to sit down for talks with Simeon Brown, the new Minister of Transport, before Christmas to highlight the policy areas it believes the government needs to soon start working on.

A briefing paper, entitled VIA: New Zealand’s Transport Future, was delivered to Brown this week and outlines a range of ideas to address issues such as reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the fleet.

Greig Epps, VIA’s chief executive, says the document is designed to tell a story and paint a picture of what the future could look like and put forward policies it thinks are needed to achieve that picture.

“The change of government is a good opportunity to take our full slate of policies to them and say these are the things we think are important,” he told Autofile Online.

“The government has got a big work programme ahead of it but we have got a lot of areas we think need to be worked on as well, so this briefing is a way of getting those topics and suggestions in front of ministers.”

Epps, pictured, adds the through line of the briefing is there will always be a need for private vehicles, even if people don’t use them as much, because public transport won’t cater for every need and not everything can be done with an e-cycle or on foot.

If the government wants to try to reduce vehicle kilometres travelled then it will need to make investments in providing more public transport and supporting other active modes.

“We don’t see those things as a threat to the industry because they’re about giving people choice,” explains Epps. “But if we’re looking to reduce carbon emissions and embracing a broader view of safety then we need to also be thinking about other users of transport such as cyclists and walkers.

“Used imports can help in those areas by providing vehicles with smaller, more efficient engines, more hybrids becoming available and supplying lighter cars that aren’t doing as much damage either to the road, to other users or in collision situations.

“We’re showing how the future will still have cars and our sector will be in there playing its part, especially in that affordable segment, by helping everyday Kiwis have a vehicle that contributes to reducing emissions but allows them to get the things done every day that they need to.”

Making plans

VIA’s briefing was sent to Brown less than two weeks after it was announced he would be Minister of Transport in the coalition government formed by National, Act and New Zealand First.

One of the first moves by the new government was to announce a plan to tackle 49 key actions during its first 100 days in office, including repealing the clean car discount (CCD) by December 31, 2023.

Epps says VIA decided to act swiftly and contact Brown because it wants him to see the briefing while the three coalition partners are still making policy plans for the longer term. 

“They have made their 100-day plan and the next thing will be looking at what they do next. That’s where we want to be starting to have conversations and getting in there saying here are some ideas and this is what we want to talk about,” he explains.

“There are also things in the 100-day plan we want to talk about such as the rolling out of electric vehicle infrastructure or looking at how the clean car discount is rolled back.

“We would be keen to talk to the minister before Christmas about this briefing and other issues for our members.

“I’m certain other associations will be looking to have a similar conversation and we’d welcome a conversation with the minister either as a group or individually, depending on how we fit into his schedule.”

With regards to the CCD’s axing, Epps says officials and industry still need to be trying to encourage people into lower-emissions vehicles and should discuss what can be done as a demand-side incentive that’s different from the feebates scheme.

VIA is also keen for a greater focus on actions and policies that will encourage a refresh of the existing fleet. 

“A lot of recent legislation has been looking at what’s coming in but we also need to look at how we handle getting vehicles out of the fleet,” continues Epps.

“We have to ask how we can encourage people to move older vehicles out of the fleet and get them into something more fuel efficient, potentially a hybrid, and help move us towards that goal of lower carbon.”

Rethink for businesses

He acknowledges some of the policies outlined in the association’s briefing may cause some disruption for parts of the industry.

Such changes may mean people have to look at how they operate and decide whether they can stay in business with the types of vehicles that need to be brought in, be it through government regulations or the changing demands of consumers.

“For those who want to stay in the automotive space, they may have to think about what else can they look at, is it different models, maybe bringing in more micro-mobility vehicles or shifting to other areas such as battery reconditioning or car conversions,” adds Epps.

“Change also presents an opportunity for our members, who are natural businesspeople and entrepreneurs, and we’re fighting to ensure the industry is sustainable but sustainable in a way that adapts to vehicle needs of the future.”

VIA’s briefing is being treated as a “living document” because the positions it takes will be influenced by new technology coming through and what the government decides to do.

The association aims to revisit the document and its goals regularly, have ongoing talks with the Minister of Transport about the plan and it is likely to undergo a major revision in a couple of years.

Epps adds one area of potential concern around future policies affecting the industry is the coalition’s ambition to reduce the size of the public service. 

“We have had a few years of lots of rapid change and the biggest complaint from industry has been not being talked to early enough and not being given enough time to provide feedback,” says Epps.

“I feel there’s a growing desire among many officials to make sure conversations are had more often and are more productive.

“However, one area of uncertainty for us is the coalition government wanting to reduce the costs of government and looking at downsizing various departments. That may impact the Ministry of Transport and the NZTA, which may create issues of not having the people there to talk to as much or policies not being driven forward because there aren’t enough resources.

“However, I’m optimistic we will be able to maintain good connections with those departments once the government has run its rule over the public sector.”