Poor wages are a major driving force in the creeping corruption within businesses such as VTNZ, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.
Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says:
“The recent cases of corruption at VTNZ[1], are at least partially the result of employees topping up a relatively low income through bribery. It should have been obvious from the start that relatively low-wage employees were a high risk in these vital jobs.”
“The solution is equally obvious: ensure that these vital employees are paid sufficiently high wages to discourage the temptation to take bribes.”
“Throughout India and Asia, low wages for essential jobs mean that corruption is considered normal. The exceptions are Singapore[2], Hong Kong and Japan, where government workers are paid relatively high wages.”
“Higher wages for government workers, combined with heavy penalties for corruption, have made Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan into three of the least corrupt countries in the world. In fact, Singapore has a higher rating than New Zealand.”
Former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in 2020:
“[It is] best to pay [a] person according to what he is worth, and according to what he is contributing.
If you don't do that, either you compromise on the quality of your civil service, or people will find ways to make up [the low income] …and that will lead to other kinds of big problems."
Matthew-Wilson adds:
“Sadly, New Zealand appears to be taking the opposite path to Singapore.”
“An entry-level driver's licence testing officer with 1-3 years of experience can expect an average salary of just over $60,000. That sounds good until you realise it's just over $10,000 more a year than the minimum wage.”
“To put that figure in perspective, the average Aucklander would need to earn earn a minimum of $172,000 a year to be able to afford the cheapest home.”
“This is the Gig Economy in practice: it’s an organised, ongoing attempt by employers to sidestep trade unions, reduce wages and worsen work conditions, often through exploiting foreign labour.”
Therefore, much of the blame for the inevitable corruption that follows a low wage economy, rests with the people who promote it.”
Matthew-Wilson believes the government should set high minimum wages for ‘essential community services’, such as healthcare workers, drivers’ licence testers and truck drivers.
“The government must also greatly increase penalties for corruption,” he added.
“It’s essential that tests such as the driver’s licence evaluation are trustworthy and free from corruption. It’s also essential that truck drivers can prove they are safe to drive. The current system encourages corruption.”
Matthew-Wilson adds:
“It’s no accident that the Gig Economy kicked off along with Uber; the entire car-share business was built around exploiting vulnerable immigrants.
Fortunately, the recent Supreme Court decision, which confirmed that Uber drivers are in fact workers rather than contractors, points the way for a more positive future. This is despite attempts by the current government to encourage the Gig Economy.
“Many employers simply want to hire the lowest wage workers and they don’t give a damn about the consequences. That’s bad enough in any industry, but in the transport industry, human lives are at stake.[3]”
“There is no real shortage of truck drivers, only a shortage of truck drivers prepared to drive a 44-tonne freight truck around the country for $10 per hour more than the minimum wage[4].”
“Invariably, when the issue of low wages for truck drivers comes up, the trucking companies point to one small group of specialised drivers earning much higher wages. But the wages that matter most are the wages that the average driver earns.”
- At the VTNZ Highbrook branch in Auckland, five driver testing officers were fired in October 2025 for serious misconduct, with allegations of accepting payments to pass hundreds of applicants since 2023. Police and the Serious Fraud Office are investigating, and 322 people have been instructed to retake their tests.
- In Wellington (believed to be Porirua), a VTNZ testing officer was dismissed in March 2024 after admitting to accepting money from a customer.
- At the Masterton branch, an officer was also dismissed for improperly changing a failed test result, although no bribery was alleged in this specific instance.
These recent incidents involving dismissals at multiple VTNZ locations over the past two years indicate a pattern of misconduct among driver testing officers.
Earlier cases involving other NZTA agents include a 2019 incident where two testing officers at an AA branch in Auckland were convicted and imprisoned for a bribery scheme, leading to hundreds of revoked licences.
The exact number of formal legal cases related to the current VTNZ allegations is not publicly available as police and SFO assessments are ongoing. The investigations are currently focused on the number of individuals involved and the number of drivers affected who need to be retested.
[2] Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan are consistently ranked among the world's least corrupt countries according to various international reports, including the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Based on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024, these countries are top performers, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region:
- Singapore: Ranked as the 3rd least corrupt country globally (and top in Asia-Pacific) out of 180 countries and territories, with a score of 84 out of 100. Singapore has consistently held a top 10 position for many years.
- Hong Kong: Ranked as the 17th least corrupt place in the world, with a score of 74. Hong Kong has consistently remained in the top 20 band since the index was launched.
- Japan: Ranked as the 20th least corrupt country globally, with a score of 71. Japan is also considered one of the least corrupt in Asia.
These high rankings are attributed to factors such as high wages, strong legal frameworks, robust anti-corruption agencies, high conviction rates, and a general culture of integrity and intolerance towards corruption.
There is a well-established link between how much civil servants are paid and the level of corruption. VTNZ staff do not work directly for the government, but on behalf of the government, so it is probably safe to assume a similar connection in the private sector.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014759672300029X
· Wage inequality in the public sector affects the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies.
· Raising wages in the public sector could reduce corruption.
[3] Over the years 2021 - 2023, trucks were involved in 18 percent of fatal crashes, 7 percent of serious injury crashes, and 6 percent of minor injury crashes.
https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/safety-annual-statistics/sheet/trucks
[4] According to the government Careers website, heavy truck drivers usually earn
$24-$35 per hour
Highly skilled heavy truck drivers can earn
$35-$45 per hour
Source: careers.govt.nz research, 2023.
