How much control do Mongoose have over the NZSA?

Back in May I drove up to Auckland to attend a New Zealand Security Association meeting. My goal was was to question why we have a lack of installer standards and an out dated star rating system.

At the meeting it was suggested that that the “standards” should be addressed at another time due to the amount of time it would take up.

Greg Watts (CEO of the NZSA) said that a special interest group would be formed to tackle such matters and that he would like myself and others to be involved.

Keen to make a difference I got my application form off in the post as requested.

Four months later and I have not heard back from the NZSA, last week I even sent the following email directly to Greg Watts:

20 Sept

Morning Greg,

Thought I’d give you a quick bump as I have not heard back from you about the vehicle security specialist working group.

It must be about three months since I sent my application form to you.

Kind Regards,
Julian

9 days later and I have not had a reply (or an out off office response for that matter)

So what action has the NZSA taken since 20th May?

Apart from giving Mongoose a very questionable “5 Star Rating” for it Toyota alarm that can be unplugged in seconds, it would seem very little.

It would appear to be a case of Mongoose wants, Mongoose gets! Let’s face it David Harley from Mongoose has no interest in improving alarm standards, his only concern would appear to be controlling the NZSA as a marketing tool for his products.

This comment from him on my 5 Star Muppetry post clearly shows how much influence he has over the NZSA and the existing standards:

You have previously been invited to make an application to join as an NZSA committee member which is the correct forum for the issues you publically debate on your blog. Once the new committee is formed, it can consider the issues you raise and, if found valid and necessary, then an application can be made to Standards Australia for the EL31 vehicle committee to be reconvened if they find there is sufficient interest in doing so. Since 2003, there have been no further meetings and so far no requirement.
The EL31 sub-committee is made up of individual companies and interested parties who apply to be members and you could attend in your own capacity as Obsessive Security.
Meetings are usually in Perth, Sydney or Melbourne and attending members pay their own way to attend.

Quite how deep the special relationship between Mongoose and the NZSA is I don’t know, but I firmly believe it is one of the main reasons why the standards are being held back.

Let’s not forget that last year I wrote to the NZSA expressing my concerns over changes made to the Mongoose M60 and M80, the first person I heard from was David Harley from Mongoose! To have an alarm importer policing the standards of his own products just goes to show how compromised the NZSA are. If things are to improve then this clearly needs to change.

Once again I am forced to publicly question the NZSA because it fails to respond to my emails!