44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
15 August 2024
J. Robinson
[FYI request #27798 email]
REF: OIA-15977
Dear J. Robinson
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 23 July 2024 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I request through OIA the statistics over the last 5 years of NZTA providing refunds of
driver licensing tests, the reasons for these refunds and the forms/procedures for this
process to be completed.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) holds the following information on refunds for driver
licencing fees:
Annual refunds for driver licensing fees
Refund year
Total refunds
Total amount
2019
1,847
$185,326
2020
1,563
$161,611
2021
1,846
$156,328
2022
2,412
$192,751
2023
1,468
$147,134
2024
252
$39,796
It is important to note the following caveats in relation to the information provided:
• Data was extracted from the Driver Licence Register (DLR) and is current as at 31 July 2024.
• Data is limited to paid refunds for driver licence application fees and test fees between 1 January
2019 and 31 July 2024 inclusive. No distinction is made between application and test fees.
• 2024 data is from 1 January 2024 to 31 July 2024 inclusive.
• “Total refunds” is for the total count of refunds paid because of an application for refund.
• “Total amount” is for the total amount of refunds paid because of an application for refund.
• “Refund year” is based on the refund date.
• NZTA will consider refunding a Driver Licence test fee in the following cases:
-
medical injury
-
moving overseas
-
criminal activity
-
vehicle crash
-
bereavement.
• NZTA will consider refunding a Driver Licence application fee in the following cases:
-
a medical event that is likely to permanently prevent the applicant from driving (for
example, loss of sight or terminal illness)
-
unexpected move overseas and the applicant is not going to return to New Zealand
-
NZTA or its agents have made an error.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand had a 4-level Alert system in place starting from 21
March 2020 and Driver Licensing and testing facilities closed during Alert Levels 3 and 4. Further
information on the Alert Level system is available at:
https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19/alert-system/alert-system-overview/
• Information about the history of the COVID-19 alert system is available at:
https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-levels-and-updates/history-of-the-covid-19-alert-system/
• From October 2023, an applicant has been entitled to take a theory test or practical test 1 or 2
times without paying an additional testing fee. As a result, 2023 and 2024 data may not align with
previous trends.
For the part of your request regarding the process, following changes to legislation on 8 July 2024 a
Driver Licence applicant may get a refund if their test was cancelled more than two working days in
advance. Further information about this process is available on our website at:
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/licensing-fees/licence-fees#refund
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZTA, please contact us by email to
[NZTA request email].
Yours sincerely
Henry Pretorius
Acting Senior Manager Research and Analytics
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