The Cook Islands Land Transport Authority saw increased licence renewals, policy development, and promising initiatives in Pa Enua, with road safety collaboration and legislative review planned for the future.

Last year, the Cook Islands Land Transport Authority (LTA) saw a significant increase in motor vehicle licence renewals.

The Ministry of Transport’s Annual Report for the year ending June 30, 2023, highlights this achievement, noting that existing Motor Vehicle Dealers and Salespersons achieved a 100 per cent timely renewal rate for their licences.

Additionally, one new interest for a Motor Vehicle Dealer license was registered in Rarotonga, the report said.

Transport licence renewals in 2023 were higher than previous years, with most completed within three months of the March 2023 expiry dates. The authority attributes this improvement to increased collaboration with the Cook Islands Police Service for inspection activities.

The report said January 2023 saw a first-time initiative, with the LTA conducting a formal awareness-raising campaign for its activities in the Pa Enua (outer islands).

This proved successful, as the subsequent scoping visit to Aitutaki identified 21 potential transport operators. This led to the island’s first ever licenced taxi operator and generated interest from a rental vehicle operator who may become the fourth Warrant of Fitness (WoF) issuer in Aitutaki.

The report notes that the Cook Islands Police are currently progressing the necessary steps for WoF accreditation.

Stakeholder research and consultations in Rarotonga and the Southern Group have paved the way for the development of a draft Cook Islands Land Transport Policy. The authority considers this a major achievement in 2023, with the primary challenge being the need for improved policy and planning, a cohesive legislative framework, and dedicated funding to enable the completion of this work.

Furthermore, the completion of the procurement process for overseas consultancy services has facilitated the implementation of the Land Transport Policy.

The Land Transport’s future priorities include the completion of the Land Transport Policy and legislative amendments to relevant transport legislation.

This also includes a collaboration with Infrastructure Cook Islands, the Police, and the Ministry of Transport on Road and Road Safety Programmes.

The authority plans to review staffing of the division and review the Transport Act 1966. This review aims to establish the Ministry of Transport as the Registrar of motor vehicles and implement the relevant legislative land transport provisions.