44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
XX September 2024
Matthew Hosie
[FYI request #28319 email]
REF: OIA-16364
Dear Matthew
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 6 September 2024 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
In regards to the learner license:
what is the oldest active learner license and what part of the country is it held in.
Your request was subsequently clarified on 9 September 2024 to include the following:
a. The age of the oldest learner licence holder
b. What is longest continual period of time a person has been on a learner licence including all
renewals of that learner licence?
Each question of your request has been addressed in turn below. Please note that the information
provided is limited to class 1 (car) learner licence.
The age of the oldest learner licence holder
Disclosing the age of the oldest learner licence holder may make it possible to identify the individual
concerned. I am therefore withholding this information under section 9(2)(a) of the Act. This section
allows for the withholding of information in order to protect the privacy of natural persons.
However, in order to provide reasonable assistance, I can confirm there are 16 current learner licence
holders above the age of 80 years old, as at 16 September 2024.
The longest continual period of time a person has been on a learner licence including all
renewals of that learner licence
As at 16 September 2024, the longest period a person has been on a learner licence is 42 years.
It is important to note the following in relation to the information provided:
• The information was extracted from the Driver Licence Register (DLR) and is current as at 16
September 2024.
• Data has been limited to holders of a current Class 1(Car) learner licence as at 16 September
2024.
• Data is limited to standard and diplomatic licence types.
• The age of a licence holder is calculated as at 16 September 2024 from their entered date of
birth.
• Duration on a learner licence has been calculated as the period between the recorded start
date of the learner licence and 16 September 2024.
• Duration on a learner licence does not exclude any period a current learner licence was not
held (for example, if the licence holder was disqualified or the learner licence expired).
• The start date of a learner licence is the date the new learner licence application was granted
(or partially granted for an overseas conversion application).
• The start date of a learner licence obtained prior to 1986 (i.e., booklet licences) might have
been incorrectly recorded when the manual licence records were captured in DLR. For
example, some licences have the issue date as the date of birth of the licence holder.
• Where the learner licence start date is the same as the date of birth of the licence holder,
these have been excluded in calculating the duration on a learner licence.
With respect to the information that has been withheld from this request, I do not consider there are
any other factors which would render it desirable, in the public interest, to make the information
available.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to
withhold this information. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you would like to discuss this reply with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), please
contact Kerry Greig, Manager, Data Services, by email to [email address].
Yours sincerely
Galina Mitchelhill
Senior Manager Research and Analytics
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