Kia ora Charlie

 

This email acknowledges your below request for information made under the
Official Information Act 1982.

 

Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate section of NZ Transport
Agency Waka Kotahi for response. They will contact you if they require
clarification of your request, more time to respond, or if your request
has been transferred to another organisation to respond to. Unless more
time is required, NZ Transport Agency will send a response to you within
20 working days of receiving your request – in this instance on or before
22 December 2025.

 

If you would like to discuss your request with NZ Transport Agency, please
contact us by email at [1][NZTA request email].

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Ministerial Services
Te Waka Kôtuia | Engagement & Partnerships
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

[2]Connect with us on Social Media

 

[3][IMG]

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Charlie Drummond <[FOI #32974 email]>
Sent: Monday, 24 November 2025 9:40 am
To: Official Correspondence <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - OIA Request for Statistics on
Third-Party Access to the Motor Vehicle Register

 

[You don't often get email from
[4][FOI #32974 email]. Learn why this is
important at [5]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear New Zealand Transport Agency,

 

This is a request for official information under the Official Information
Act 1982. I am requesting anonymised statistical data regarding access to
the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) by third-party entities.

This request is specifically focused on understanding the scale and nature
of requests made for the purpose of enforcing parking rules or recovering
debts related to vehicles on private property.

For each of the last three full calendar years (2022, 2023, 2024) and the
current year to date (2025), please provide the following information:

1. Request Volume by Entity Type:

Please provide the total number of individual record access requests made
to the MVR, broken down by the type of requesting entity. Please use your
existing internal classifications if available. I would anticipate
categories such as:

a) Private Parking Enforcement Companies (e.g., Wilson Parking, Smart
Compliance Management, etc.).

b) Debt Collection Agencies.

c) Finance and Insurance Companies.

d) Other corporate entities.

2. Top 20 Private Requesters:

Please provide a list of the top 20 non-governmental entities that have
made the highest number of MVR access requests, and the total number of
requests made by each of those 20 entities.

3. Revenue from MVR Access:

Please provide the total revenue received by Waka Kotahi from the sale of
MVR information to non-governmental entities.

4. Justification Categories:

When an entity requests information from the MVR, they must provide a
reason for the request. Please provide a breakdown of the total number of
requests based on the justification or "good cause" category provided by
the requester. Please use your existing internal data structure for these
categories. I would expect to see categories such as:

a) "Parking Breach Enforcement."

b) "Debt Recovery."

c) "Insurance Claim Investigation."

d) "Vehicle Repossession."

e) Any other significant categories.

5. Audits and Compliance:

Please provide the number of audits Waka Kotahi has conducted on
third-party users of the MVR access facility to ensure compliance with the
terms of use and the Privacy Act. Please also state how many of these
audits resulted in a finding of non-compliance.

Purpose of this Request

This information is requested in the public interest to understand the
scale and operation of the system that allows private entities to access
citizens' personal information from a state-held database. This data is
essential for public debate and for ensuring that the current framework
provides adequate privacy protection for New Zealanders.

I am requesting anonymised, statistical data only, not the details of any
specific request or the personal information of any individual. This
should prevent any withholding grounds under section 9(2)(a) of the Act
from applying.

If any part of this request is to be refused, please provide the specific
grounds for refusal under the OIA and consider whether a partial release
of the information is possible.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Charlie Drummond

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[6][FOI #32974 email]

 

Is [7][NZTA request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to New Zealand Transport Agency? If so, please
contact us using this form:

[8]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This message, together with any attachments, may contain information that
is classified and/or subject to legal privilege. Any classification
markings must be adhered to. If you are not the intended recipient, you
must not peruse, disclose, disseminate, copy or use the message in any
way. If you have received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by return email and then destroy the original message. This
communication may be accessed or retained by NZ Transport Agency Waka
Kotahi for information assurance purposes.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[NZTA request email]
2. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/contact-us/conn...
3. https://nzta.govt.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #32974 email]
5. https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
6. mailto:[FOI #32974 email]
7. mailto:[NZTA request email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Charlie

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982
regarding anonymised statistical data on access to the Motor Vehicle
Register (MVR) by third-party entities.

 

To ensure we can respond accurately and within the scope of the Act, we
would like to clarify several aspects of your request:

 

Overall Scope:

Your request states that it is specifically focused on understanding the
scale and nature of requests made for the purpose of enforcing parking
rules or recovering debts related to vehicles on private property. We are
unable to identify this subset of requests or hold data that distinguishes
these purposes. This means we cannot provide information at that level of
detail.

 

 1. Request Volume by Entity Type

We do not record the number of individual record access requests by entity
type. The Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) is accessed extensively—over five
million times in a three-month period—through various channels such as
section 241 access, Motochek, portal access etc. Could you please refine
this part of your request to specify:

 

o Which access channel(s) you are interested in (e.g., Motochek vs.
portal)?
o Whether you are seeking aggregated totals rather than individual
request counts?

 

Most common access Types explained:

 

o Section 241:  Certain persons (including businesses) or classes of
persons can be authorised to have access to the names and addresses of
persons registered in respect of a motor vehicle, and information on
those vehicles, under section 241 of the Land Transport Act 1998 (the
LTA). Typically used by private parking enforcement, finance
companies, and insurers. 
o Section 235: Section 235 of the LTA outlines the purposes of the Motor
Vehicle Register. Specifically, the purposes are:

o Enforcement of the law
o Maintenance of the security of New Zealand
o Collection of charges imposed or authorised by an enactment
o Administration and development of transport law and policy
o These purposes underpin why the register exists and guide decisions on
disclosure under other sections.

o Section 237(2)(d): While opting out under section 241 restricts
certain access, information may still be disclosed if permitted under
another enactment (e.g., the Official Information Act 1982 or Privacy
Act 2020).

The information returned to the requestor will depend on their level of
access. Those levels are: 

 1. Not authorised (anyone can hold this account type) – can access
vehicle details, current and historical company ownership information.
Cannot access current and historical private individual names and
addresses. 
 2. Authorised (see [1]www.nzta.govt.nz/s241) – can access vehicle
details, current and historical company ownership information. Can
access current private individual names and addresses even if the
individual has opted-out. Cannot access historical private individual
names and addresses. 
 3. Enforcement authorities (e.g., councils, Auckland Transport, and the
Police) – can access vehicle details, current and historical company
ownership information. Can access both current (including opted-out)
and historical private individual names and addresses. 

Access to the information is sought via the Motochek service or a
third-party portal e.g. Carjam.

o Motochek: Provides access to certain data from the Motor Vehicle
Register. It can do so in two ways: 

 

Direct: Where the Motochek customer personally submits the plate number
either via immediate enquiry or overnight batching request

API: Where the Motochek customers backend systems integrate with motochek
to deliver the information to them.  

 

Important: Even if the scope is narrowed to one or two channels, compiling
this information would still require substantial collation and manual
work. If the request remains broad, it is likely to be refused under
section 18(f) of the Act because it would involve significant effort to
research and extract the data. Narrowing the scope as much as possible
will help us assess what can realistically be provided.

 

 2. Top 20 Private Requesters

We may be able to provide a list of the top non-governmental entities by
volume of access. However:

 

o We cannot break down the purpose of each request or confirm how the
information was used.
o We cannot provide details on the level of access granted for each
request.

 

Please confirm if a simple ranking by total access volume would meet your
needs.

 

Clarifying these points will help us determine the extent of collation
required and whether charges may apply under the Act. If the request
remains broad or would require substantial collation, we may need to
discuss options for refining the request further.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Ministerial Services
Te Waka Kōtuia | Engagement & Partnerships
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

[2]Connect with us on Social Media

 

[3][IMG]

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Charlie Drummond <[4][FOI #32974 email]>
Sent: Monday, 24 November 2025 9:40 am
To: Official Correspondence <[5][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - OIA Request for Statistics on
Third-Party Access to the Motor Vehicle Register

 

[You don't often get email from
[6][FOI #32974 email]. Learn why this is
important at [7]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear New Zealand Transport Agency,

 

This is a request for official information under the Official Information
Act 1982. I am requesting anonymised statistical data regarding access to
the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) by third-party entities.

This request is specifically focused on understanding the scale and nature
of requests made for the purpose of enforcing parking rules or recovering
debts related to vehicles on private property.

For each of the last three full calendar years (2022, 2023, 2024) and the
current year to date (2025), please provide the following information:

1. Request Volume by Entity Type:

Please provide the total number of individual record access requests made
to the MVR, broken down by the type of requesting entity. Please use your
existing internal classifications if available. I would anticipate
categories such as:

a) Private Parking Enforcement Companies (e.g., Wilson Parking, Smart
Compliance Management, etc.).

b) Debt Collection Agencies.

c) Finance and Insurance Companies.

d) Other corporate entities.

2. Top 20 Private Requesters:

Please provide a list of the top 20 non-governmental entities that have
made the highest number of MVR access requests, and the total number of
requests made by each of those 20 entities.

3. Revenue from MVR Access:

Please provide the total revenue received by Waka Kotahi from the sale of
MVR information to non-governmental entities.

4. Justification Categories:

When an entity requests information from the MVR, they must provide a
reason for the request. Please provide a breakdown of the total number of
requests based on the justification or "good cause" category provided by
the requester. Please use your existing internal data structure for these
categories. I would expect to see categories such as:

a) "Parking Breach Enforcement."

b) "Debt Recovery."

c) "Insurance Claim Investigation."

d) "Vehicle Repossession."

e) Any other significant categories.

5. Audits and Compliance:

Please provide the number of audits Waka Kotahi has conducted on
third-party users of the MVR access facility to ensure compliance with the
terms of use and the Privacy Act. Please also state how many of these
audits resulted in a finding of non-compliance.

Purpose of this Request

This information is requested in the public interest to understand the
scale and operation of the system that allows private entities to access
citizens' personal information from a state-held database. This data is
essential for public debate and for ensuring that the current framework
provides adequate privacy protection for New Zealanders.

I am requesting anonymised, statistical data only, not the details of any
specific request or the personal information of any individual. This
should prevent any withholding grounds under section 9(2)(a) of the Act
from applying.

If any part of this request is to be refused, please provide the specific
grounds for refusal under the OIA and consider whether a partial release
of the information is possible.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Charlie Drummond

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FOI #32974 email]

 

Is [9][NZTA request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to New Zealand Transport Agency? If so, please
contact us using this form:

[10]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[11]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

This message, together with any attachments, may contain information that
is classified and/or subject to legal privilege. Any classification
markings must be adhered to. If you are not the intended recipient, you
must not peruse, disclose, disseminate, copy or use the message in any
way. If you have received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by return email and then destroy the original message. This
communication may be accessed or retained by NZ Transport Agency Waka
Kotahi for information assurance purposes.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/s241)
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/s241)
2. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/contact-us/conn...
3. https://nzta.govt.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #32974 email]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. mailto:[FOI #32974 email]
7. https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
8. mailto:[FOI #32974 email]
9. mailto:[NZTA request email]
10. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
11. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections