Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

As and when Maritime Rules Part 21 [Safe Ship Management] or Part 46 [Maintenance and Surveys] is reviewed, any amendments should include the provision that New Zealand registered ships operating outside New Zealand territorial waters maintain continuous certification.

On 26 June 2025, the Commission recommended that Maritime New Zealand investigate and submit papers as appropriate to the IMO (through the appropriate sub-committee) to promote standards that ensure sufficient quality assurance for rudder systems throughout the process of installation, alterations, major repairs and maintenance.

advise all operators of steam locomotives of the need to use borosilicate glass tubes in sight gauges, with all such gauges to have a safety screen in front of them.

Fit a device to the aft steering wheel to secure it against inadvertent operation. Such a device should be quick-release to allow instant helm control should it be required in an emergency.

The current requirements for communicating the status of main-line points at crossing stations within single-line automatic signalling territory results in a potential single point of failure where the consequences could be a high-speed rollover, derailment or collision.

Require a one time inspection of all aircraft which have a radio altimeter installed to determine whether the radio altimeter antennae are free from paint.

On 15 May 2024, the Commission recommended that the Secretary for Transport and the Director of Civil Aviation resolve the ambiguity in the definition of ‘crew members’ in commercial transport operations and take steps to clarify the use of the term in associated rules and Advisory Circulars.

He facilitate the ratification by the appropriate parties of the proposed new code for Road Signs and Markings for Railway Level Crossings and their agreement in regard to implementation.

Review the existing visual signals in use between tug and glider pilots and re-promulgate the list of standard signals to be used by the pilots of all clubs which are members of the Association in the form of a poster or other aid likely to be a constant reminder to all tug and glider pilots.

As the results of the Australian Ultralight Federation's wing tests were circulated to Resurgam owners in Australia and New Zealand, it was not considered necessary to make any additional recommendations.

There were 2 safety issues identified with the Wellington maintenance depot processes: - there were no individual task instructions on how each job was to be done - there was no check sheet associated with each task to record that important steps and checks for the task had been completed. Instead, the depot relied on the knowledge of the depot staff to complete each task satisfactorily. These shortcomings in maintenance control could be indicators of other safety issues within the wider maintenance system at the Wellington maintenance depot.

Schedule planned maintenance programmes for the examination of automatic air brake valve handles to ensure correct operation.