AA to investigate driving licence scam

The Automobile Association is investigating whether its driver testing procedures need changing after reports that licences were being issued to Asian drivers without them sitting practical tests.

Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ) and police are investigating the scam which was exposed last night on TV3's Campbell Live show.

The programme showed a woman, who was rated a poor driver by an instructor, obtaining a licence from an Asian man who has allegedly been organising them for customers at a charge of $400.

Hidden cameras showed her meeting the man, known as Mr Low, and giving him $200 initially and agreeing to pay another $200 when he produced the licence.

AA's general manager of corporate communication Greg Hunting said today the allegations were worrying.

"The bottom line as far as we're concerned is that this clearly is a problem. We fully support an investigation because the sooner that's carried out, the sooner it'll restore faith in the system," he said.

Mr Hunting said an investigation would remove any question marks over staff "who do a professional job, in accordance with rules and regulations laid down by the LTNZ".

"We'll be talking to the LTNZ about whether there needs to be some changes to those procedures."

Mr Hunting said the AA was involved only in theory tests for driver licensing: "We don't do driver testing of the practical kind -- that's a separate company...we've got no association with it, we're not involved in it."

The company that ran the testing, Driver Testing New Zealand, was not available for comment.

LTNZ media manager Andy Knackstedt said the department was aware of the problem and had been investigating it for several weeks.

"We met with police today to discuss where we go from here. We're following a number of lines of inquiry, and we'll be in a position to had our information over to police this week," he said.

Mr Knackstedt was reluctant to say exactly how the department was alerted to the problem.

"We've got internal processes -- in order to do our job effectively and investigate allegations of this sort, we can't give away our trade secrets."

He said the woman on TV3 had been identified and the LTNZ had invalidated her licence.

"We'll be writing to her and asking her to surrender it. We are keen to track down anyone who has a practical licence that hasn't earned it."

- NZPA