Your personal information

Who has access to my personal information?

Currently, the names and addresses held on the Motor Vehicle Register are publicly available to any person who provides the registration plate number of the vehicle and pays the prescribed fee.

This information is 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 wish to receive the information in bulk. Once received, there is no restriction on how this information may be used.

Provisions exist for a registered owner to request a confidential listing where there is a threat to their personal safety and security. A confidential listing means that your name and address is withheld and is not available publicly to any member of the public who requests it. The criteria for being granted a confidential listing is high and the threat to your personal safety and security needs to be a real threat rather than a perceived threat nor can a confidential listing be granted simply because you do not wish your name and address to be available publicly.

Doesn’t this breach privacy legislation?

The legislative provisions regarding the release of name and address from the Motor Vehicle Register override the provisions governing the release of personal information contained in the Official Information Act 1982 and the information privacy principles contained in the Privacy Act 1993.

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)