Vehicle information
Vehicle information is available to any person on request.
Registered person information
Companies and organisations
The names and addresses of companies or other corporate bodies that are or have been previously registered in respect of a vehicle are available to any person on request. Company name and address are considered to be in the public domain and so do not require the level of protection given to individuals.
Individuals
Until 1 May 2011 the names and addresses held on the Motor Vehicle Register were publicly available to any person who provided the registration plate number of the vehicle and paid the prescribed fee. This information was available through NZTA agents such as NZ Post, VTNZ and the AA or for subscribed users, through the NZTA's internet service 'Motochek' for those who wished to receive the information electronically. Once received, there was no restriction on how that information may be used.
Law changes that came into effect on 1 May 2011 now better protect personal information.
Personal information for individuals is released where it is required for one of the purposes of the Motor Vehicle Register. By their nature, these purposes are likely to be availed of by, and limited to, central and local government bodies.
Anyone who wishes to obtain the names and addresses of registered persons who are individuals may apply to the NZTA. The NZTA will consider such requests using the criteria contained in the Official Information Act. This requires the NZTA to weigh up the public interest in releasing the information sought against the privacy rights of the individual concerned.
Alternatively any person may seek a special 'authorisation' from the Ministry of Transport. An authorisation means that when the authorised person requests the name and address of an individual that their request does not need to be considered against the criteria in the Official Information Act. An authorisation is likely to be sought by persons who access Motor Vehicle Register information in bulk or on a frequent and ongoing basis.
The Ministry of Transport can issue an authorisation to any person to obtain current names and addresses. The Secretary is required to consult with the Ombudsman, Privacy Commissioner and Police Commissioner before reaching a decision on whether to grant an authorisation. An authorisation may be for any purpose and subject to any conditions specified by the Secretary.
Any organisation or individual granted an authorised access will be published. You can find the list on the New Zealand Gazette website by searching on "Access to motor vehicle register information" under Notices by Category (external link). The New Zealand Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of New Zealand and is produced every Thursday.
For further information including how to apply for an authorisation see the Ministry of Transport website (external link).
Further protections
Individuals that do not wish their name and address to be released to a person who has been granted an authorisation from the Ministry of Transport without first having their privacy interest considered may ask for their details to be withheld. This is called 'opting-out'. Opting-out means that a person authorised by the Ministry of Transport must specifically request the individual's name and address from the NZTA. The NZTA will then weigh up the public interest in releasing the individual's details against their privacy. Before you opt-out keep in mind that persons authorised by the Ministry of Transport are those that have a legitimate need for access to information held on the motor vehicle register and include organisations such as insurers, finance companies and motor vehicle traders. Opting-out may mean that it costs more and takes longer for you to complete any transactions with these organisations as they will be required to specifically request your information from the NZTA.
Opting out came into effect on 1 May 2011 but any person who has obtained an individual's name and address prior to this date under the old regime, may continue to use that information.
Where requested by an individual, the NZTA will provide the name of any person to whom their details have been provided and the purpose for which their information was disclosed unless the disclosure was for one of the purposes of the Motor Vehicle Register.
Opt-out online
You can opt-out online at the NZTA transaction centre. You will need to provide your driver licence number and the registration plate numbers of all the vehicles registered in your name.
Information matching programmes
Information matching generally involves the comparison of one set of records with another, to find records in both sets of data that belong to the same person. Information matching programmes are authorised by Parliament and monitored by the Privacy Commissioner. Parliament has approved two such programmes that use personal information from the Motor Vehicle Register. These are the:
- Unenrolled Voters Programme, and
- Motor Vehicle Traders Sellers Programme
The Unenrolled Voters Programme compares information from the Motor Vehicle Register with information held on the electoral roll in order to:
- identify people who are qualified to vote but have not enrolled, in order that they may be invited to enrol; and
- update the addresses of people whose names are already on the roll.
The Motor Vehicle Traders Sellers Programme enables the Ministry of Economic Development to identify people who have sold more than six motor vehicles in a 12-month period and are not registered as motor vehicle traders.
For more information on both of these programmes see the Privacy Commissioner's Office website (external link).
