20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland 1010
Private Bag 92250, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
+64 9 355 3553 | at.govt.nz
27 January 2026
Charlie Drummond
[FYI request #32946 email]
Your request for information under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act 1987 (LGOIMA)
– CAS-1237699-H6H6V6
Kia ora Charlie,
I refer to your request for information dated 21 November 2025 regarding Auckland Transport’s
License Plate Recognition (LPR) parking enforcement scheme otherwise referred to by
you as ANPR.
We have addressed each part of your request below.
1. Authorising Documents and Decisions: Please provide copies of the formal documents that
authorised the implementation and rollout of the ANPR parking enforcement scheme. This
includes, but is not limited to:
a) The minutes of any Council or Auckland Transport board meetings where the decision to
approve the scheme was made.
LPR was part of the Parking Future Platform Programme.
Please find the minutes attached under Appendix A – July 2015 Minutes.
Please note some information has been withheld as it is out of the scope of your request, and
under section 7(2)(a) and section 7(2)(h) of the LGOIMA.
b) The final version of any business case, proposal, or options analysis paper that was
presented to decision-makers.
Auckland Transport’s strategic and business case documents are published as part of the Regional
Land Transport Plan and related investment cases.
Decisions relating to LPR were considered as part of the broader parking enforcement technology
programmes.
Please refer to Appendix B – LPR VME Charter and Appendix C – LPR VME Business
Requirements.
Please note some information has been withheld under 7(2)(a) and section 7(2)(h) of the LGOIMA.
2. Legal and Privacy Advice: Please provide copies of any legal advice, privacy impact
assessments (PIAs), or similar advisory documents that were commissioned or created to assess
the legality and privacy implications of the ANPR scheme before its implementation.
This request is refused under section 7(2)(g) of the LGOIMA, to maintain legal professional
privilege.
3. Operational Policies and Procedures: Please provide the current operational policy, procedure,
or training documents that govern:
a) How the ANPR system identifies and flags a potential parking infringement.
The LPR system captures images of vehicles and reads licence plates. It does not issue and
infringement. It can also cross-reference plate data against parking payment and permit records. If
no valid payment or permit is detected, the system flags the event for review.
b) The process for human review of a flagged infringement before an infringement notice is
issued.
Every flagged event is reviewed by a warranted parking officer in the control room. The officer
examines the captured images and associated data to confirm whether an offence has occurred.
No infringement notice is issued without this human verification.
c) The criteria an operator or reviewer uses to confirm or dismiss a machine-flagged event.
The officer checks:
• Clear visibility and accuracy of the licence plate in the image
• Vehicle location and signage compliance
• Validity of any payment or permit records
• Any mitigating circumstances (e.g., exemptions, technical errors)
If all criteria confirm non-compliance, the of icer issues the infringement under their statutory
authority. If any criteria are not met, the event is dismissed.
Parking officers follow documented legal frameworks when making enforcement decisions.
They refer to:
• National legislation:
• Land Transport Act 1998
• Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999
• Auckland Transport bylaws: These set local rules and define infringement fees.
The above is detailed in Appendix D – LPR SOP.
In summary, Auckland Transport’s LPR enforcement process is governed by documented
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and training guidelines to ensure accuracy and
compliance. These resources ensure enforcement is consistent, lawful, and transparent.
4. Data Handling and Retention: Please provide the specific policy or documentation that outlines:
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a) The retention period for ANPR data for vehicles that are not flagged for an infringement.
b) The retention period for ANPR data and associated images for vehicles that are issued an
infringement notice.
This request is refused under section 17(d) of the LGOIMA as the information is publicly available -
CCTV policy
c) A list of all third-party organisations or vendors who have access to the raw or processed
ANPR data, and a copy of the data-sharing agreement or relevant privacy clauses in the
contract with the primary vendor.
This part of the request is declined under section 17(e) as it doesn’t exist; no third-party has
access to the raw or processed data.
5. Statutory Authority: Please identify the specific section(s) of the Land Transport Act 1998 or
other relevant legislation that provides the statutory authority for an automated camera system to
be the basis for issuing a parking infringement notice, particularly in relation to any requirement for
an infringement to be issued by an "authorised officer" or "parking warden."
Since the camera only captures images and a warranted officer reviews the footage and issues the
infringement, the statutory authority relates to:
• Section 128E of the Land Transport Act 1998 – This section gives parking wardens (and
enforcement officers) the power to issue infringement notices for stationary vehicle
offences. The key point is that the decision to issue the notice must be made by an
authorised person, not the camera itself.
• Section 139 – Sets out the process for issuing infringement notices when an enforcement
officer has reasonable cause to believe an offence has occurred. In your scenario, the
warranted officer reviewing the footage satisfies this requirement.
Should you believe that we have not dealt with your request appropriately, you are able to make a
complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman in accordance with section 27(3) of the LGOIMA Act
and seek an investigation and review regarding this matter.
Ngā mihi,
Phil Wrat
Engagement Manager
Customer Care
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