Whistleblowers also raised concerns about the direction the CAA was taking, claiming the merging of its investigative units would result in the agency focusing more on successful prosecutions and convictions.
They believed this could cause more accidents as aviation operators could stop reporting incidents such as mistakes, mechanical issues or near misses for fear of the potential repercussions.
However, a CAA spokesman denied the changes were about increasing enforcement action, telling the Herald “the overarching objective is improved safety for all New Zealanders”.
The CAA’s director, Keith Manch, has subsequently emailed all staff to advise of a series of “actions” following the Herald’s coverage of the issues.
Keith Manch is the director and chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority.
In his email, leaked to the Herald, Manch said the CAA had engaged consultant Tracey Taylor to review workplace culture.
Taylor was described as having extensive experience in roles such as chief executive, board chair, executive coach and chief people officer.
Taylor would review recent staff surveys and engage with leaders and staff in the investigation team, according to Manch’s email.
Manch said the review was about “ensuring and maintaining a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace”.
“This will be to collect information and identify focus areas for growth in relation to culture,” he said.
Taylor would report “regularly” to the CAA’s new board and make recommendations to it about what actions are required, he said.
Manch emphasised Taylor would operate in a “completely independent” manner and staff could be honest with her, knowing information provided would be kept private.
The Herald asked the CAA if any personal comments made by staff would be passed on to any senior leaders. The CAA said they would not.
“Information gleaned through work such as that undertaken independently by Tracey Taylor, and through internal engagement surveys is managed in accordance with the Privacy Act, and not shared directly with any staff at any level in a way that can be attributed to anyone,” a spokesman said.
Taylor would also review staff surveys, the most recent of which highlighted issues about the “undesirable” conduct of some leaders, concerns about bullying and issues being “swept under the rug”, according to the staff who commented.
The announcement of a review into culture at the CAA is not the first and follows a 2019 ministerial review.
The review was damning and found bullying and sexual harassment complaints were poorly handled, with the root cause being a “failure of governance and leadership”.
Manch’s email to all staff also revealed a new survey of stakeholders would be conducted to give the new CAA board a “baseline” understanding of the relationship with industry.
Aviation Industry Association chief executive Simon Wallace is calling for the CAA's culture review to include the views of recently departed staff.
Aviation Industry Association chief executive Simon Wallace supported moves to review workplace culture at the CAA but told the Herald it needed to be conducted in a “timely manner”.
Wallace also wanted the review would delve into issues raised by staff who had left the CAA.
“The reviewer also needs to ensure input comes from staff not only within the CAA but also from those who no longer work for the organisation,” he said.
He said one key area of concern for the industry has been the CAA merging its investigation teams.
“This concern relates to the CAA going straight to a punitive approach, rather than working with aviation operators to rectify problems,” he said.
“Frequent” delays with certification and operations specifications were also “very frustrating” for industry, with Wallace saying new aircraft are sitting in hangars for 12 months or more.
He said a proposal to significantly increase fees and levies can’t be justified without better service delivery from the regulator.
NZ Air Line Pilots' Association president Andrew McKeen backs the move to review culture at the CAA.
“NZALPA supports engaging an independent consultant to review the workplace culture at CAA and this approach is aligned with [Transport] Minister [Simeon] Brown’s expectation that CAA’s management and board take all reasonable steps to resolve the issues raised,” he said.
He said pilots rely on the CAA to address all safety issues before they fly, and the public had the same expectation.
He wanted to see an “effective and well-functioning” regulator and said engagement with industry was critical to finding out what the issues are.
Aviation veteran and businessman Hugh Jones was scathing of how long it took the CAA to approve airworthiness certificates – the paperwork required legally before a new plane can fly.
Hugh Jones is a director of Core Aviation in New Zealand and was formerly managing director of Airwork.
He said it recently took six months to get one of his jets certified.
“It’s sort of impossible to do business when you’ve got that sort of service. If I was to say CAA had been an eight out of 10 over the years, I would say it gets a four out of 10 at the moment.”
Jones is a director of Core Aviation, which offers private jet charters, aircraft sales and maintenance.
He was formerly managing director of engineering and aircraft operations firm Airwork, which was sold in late 2017 for $270 million. Jones owned 60%.
Jones was also on the CAA board in 1992.
He felt the organisation lacked managers and leaders who had experience in aviation, which he believed was part of the current problems.
He believed the announcement of a review of culture signalled problems.
“People don’t investigate the culture if there are not issues. Anyone would tell you a bad culture will not breed a successful organisation,” he said.
Jones said while he thought a survey of industry might be useful, he questioned whether it was necessary.
“Do you have to do a survey when it’s quite obvious that there are huge shortcomings. It’s not rocket science, that’s for sure.”
The CAA declined to comment on concerns raised by Jones, with a spokesman saying relevant information was provided in earlier statements.
The CAA has previously acknowledged delays with certifications and pressure on the organisation.
Manch told the Herald the CAA has an exceptional, talented and committed team of professionals but there were limitations.
“I am aware of the tension in keeping pace with industry demand and enabling a safe and secure aviation system. Our people are committed to ensuring safety, while also being aware of the need to respond in a timely way, as much as they can,” he said.
Manch said a range of initiatives were under way to improve the system and alleviate pressure on staff, some of whom worked “long hours”.
This included moving resources to assist in areas most under pressure, reviewing processes, and better management of overtime.
When it comes to issues with culture within the CAA, Manch has previously told the Herald staff get training about addressing bullying and harassment and said issues are dealt with swiftly.
“Where issues are raised about behaviour in the workplace they are dealt with quickly and fairly, by the appropriate managers in the business,” he said.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.
