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 June 2026
Dale
[FYI request #34739 email]
REF: OIA-22251
Dear Dale
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email of 19 May 2026 requesting the fol owing information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act).
1. Copies of any documents held by NZTA regarding the legality of mobile speed camera
vehicles and/or trailers stopping or parking on motorways.
2. Copies of any policies, operational guidance, instructions, manuals, or training material
relating to where mobile speed camera vehicles and/or trailers may lawful y stop or park on
motorways.
3. Confirmation of the specific legal authority NZTA relies upon to permit contracted speed
camera operators to stop or park vehicles and/or trailers on motorway shoulders or verges.
4. Confirmation of whether NZTA considers contracted speed camera operators to be
“enforcement officers” for the purposes of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004, and if
not, the legal basis on which motorway stopping restrictions are considered not to apply.
5. Copies of any exemptions, notices, authorisations, or approvals granted under the Land
Transport Act 1998 or Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 relating to mobile speed
camera vehicles and/or trailers operating on motorways.
6. Details of any internal reviews, complaints, investigations, or incidents concerning the
legality of motorway parking by mobile speed camera vehicles and/or trailers since it took over
safety camera operations.
7. The total number of recorded mobile speed camera deployments to motorways since NZTA
took over safety camera operations.
8. The total number of infringement offence notices and issued total face value of those
notices resulting from mobile speed camera deployments on motorways since NZTA took over
safety camera operations.
I shall respond to each of your requests in turn.
For context, section 82(1)(d) of the Government Roading Powers Act 1989 (GRPA) allows a vehicle to
be on a motorway, including its sides, for the purpose of enforcing an enactment. In this case, the
relevant enactment is the Land Transport Act 1998 (LTA).
1. Copies of any documents held by NZTA regarding the legality of mobile speed
camera vehicles and/or trailers stopping or parking on motorways.
As the GRPA al ows us to park on motorways, we do not hold documents regarding the legality of
mobile safety camera vehicles parking on motorways. I am therefore refusing this part of your request
under section 18(e) of the Act as the information does not exist.
2. Copies of any policies, operational guidance, instructions, manuals, or training
material relating to where mobile speed camera vehicles and/or trailers may
lawfully stop or park on motorways.
Our guidance on deployment of mobile safety camera vehicles is publicly available at this link:
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/travelling-on-our-roads/safety-cameras/about-safety-cameras/safety-camera-
types/mobile-safety-cameras#general-deployment-guide The current mobile safety camera contract with Acusensus New Zealand provides
approximately 80,000 hours of enforcement each year. It is due for renewal in December 2029
and is valued at about $20 million per annum.
Operational guidance, instructions, manuals, and training material for Acusensus vehicle
operators contain commercially sensitive information. Releasing this material would disclose
trade secrets, prejudice the supplier’s commercial position, and harm our ability to obtain cost-
effective mobile camera services in future. This information is therefore being withheld under
section 9(2)(b)(i) as the information would disclose a trade secret and section 9(2)(b)(i ) of the
Act as the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the
person who supplied it.
3. Confirmation of the specific legal authority NZTA relies upon to permit contracted
speed camera operators to stop or park vehicles and/or trailers on motorway shoulders
or verges.
Section 82(1)(d) of the GRPA provides the legislative authority for mobile safety cameras to enforce
the LTA on motorways.
3. Confirmation of whether NZTA considers contracted speed camera operators to be
“enforcement officers” for the purposes of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule
2004, and if not, the legal basis on which motorway stopping restrictions are
considered not to apply.
Mobile safety camera operators are not enforcement officers. Enforcement officers are appointed by
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) under section 138 of the LTA to issue safety camera
infringements for moving vehicle and red-light camera offences. The specific legislation is outlined in
the following sections of the LTA:
• Section 208A outlines that the Agency is an enforcement officer:
2
www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0110/latest/LMS411620.html?search=sw_096be8ed8
20016ff_95(b)_25_se&p=1
• Section 139 allows an enforcement officer to issue infringements:
www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0110/latest/DLM435155.html?search=sw_096be8ed8
20016ff_95(b)_25_se&p=1#DLM435155
For the avoidance of doubt, the ‘Agency’ is defined under section 2(1) as the New Zealand Transport
Agency established under section 93 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003.
5. Copies of any exemptions, notices, authorisations, or approvals granted under the
Land Transport Act 1998 or Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 relating to mobile
speed camera vehicles and/or trailers operating on motorways.
There are no such exemptions, notices, authorisations, or approvals. They are not required because
the GRPA provides the authority to undertake enforcement on a motorway. I am therefore refusing this
part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act as the information does not exist.
6. Details of any internal reviews, complaints, investigations, or incidents concerning
the legality of motorway parking by mobile speed camera vehicles and/or trailers since
it took over safety camera operations.
NZTA has received and responded to complaints from two people about mobile safety cameras on
motorways. I am withholding the details of those complaints under section 9(2)(a) of the Act. I can
confirm the complaints concerned compliance with the
Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004. We
advised the complainants that the relevant provision is the GRPA, and that the vehicles were enforcing
the speed limit in accordance with that Act.
7. The total number of recorded mobile speed camera deployments to motorways since
NZTA took over safety camera operations.
8. The total number of infringement offence notices and issued total face value of those
notices resulting from mobile speed camera deployments on motorways since NZTA
took over safety camera operations.
NZTA does not hold information classified by the category of “motorway” for mobile safety camera
deployments or resulting infringement notices. Instead, our records are organised by local road, state
highway, and specific location.
To answer this part of your request, NZTA would need to identify which recorded locations meet the
definition of a “motorway” and then create a new dataset by extracting and compiling that information
across multiple records. This would involve making judgements about classification and generating
information that is not currently held by the Agency.
Under the Act, agencies are not required to create new information in order to respond to a request.
Accordingly, I am refusing this part of your request under section 18(g) of the Act, on the basis that the
information requested is not held by NZTA and would need to be created in order to respond.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to
withhold and refuse parts of this request. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
3
In line with NZTA policy, this response will soon be published on our website, with personal
information removed.
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZTA, please contact Ministerial Services by email to
[NZTA request email].
Yours sincerely
Jackie Smith
Manager Ministerial Services
4
