By JASON COLLIE transport reporter
The Government has ordered a review of air accident investigations to follow its study of the Civil Aviation Authority.
The review will consider whether too many agencies - such as the CAA, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission and police - are investigating accidents and incidents and obscuring key safety findings.
Transport Minister Mark Gosche told the annual conference of the Aviation Industry Association in Rotorua yesterday: "Officials will look in part at overlaps by agencies in the investigation of accidents and incidents.
"To what extent are they necessary? Can the process be improved?"
Mr Gosche also indicated that the review of the CAA - which is likely to start in October - would look at how it carried out its regulatory functions, whether its management systems were efficient, its culture and relationship with the rest of the aviation sector.
"There has been some criticism about this Government and the number of reviews it is implementing," he said. "This review is triennial and was due anyway, but we wanted to beef it up a bit."
He also called for the CAA and the rest of the aviation sector to be more open and consultative.
Association president John McCall said the relationship between the industry and the CAA had improved in the past year.
He also welcomed the safety investigation review and said that too many investigations might be obscuring safety findings.
"Our association does not have a position at the moment of what the structure should be, but we are certainly very interested in participating if required."
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