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Land Transport Act 1998

Motor vehicle registration and licensing - Register of motor vehicles

239: Further restrictions

You could also call this:

“Rules for keeping some vehicle information private”

The Registrar, who manages the register of motor vehicles, can hold back information about a vehicle for up to 28 days while they think about making it confidential. They can make a vehicle’s information confidential if sharing it might cause problems for New Zealand’s security, international relationships, law enforcement, someone’s right to a fair trial, or a person’s privacy or safety.

If the Registrar makes a vehicle’s information confidential, they won’t share it with anyone. But there are some exceptions. The Registrar can still allow the information to be used for certain legal purposes if they approve it. Also, the information must be given out if another law requires it or if the Police Commissioner asks for it.

When the Registrar is deciding whether to allow confidential information to be shared, they need to talk to any government agency that helped make the information confidential in the first place. They also need to think about why the information was made confidential.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM3701415.

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Part 17 Motor vehicle registration and licensing
Register of motor vehicles

239Further restrictions

  1. Despite section 237, for a period of up to 28 days the Registrar may decline to supply information if the Registrar is considering whether to exercise the power provided for in subsection (2).

  2. The Registrar may grant confidential status in respect of a specified motor vehicle if the Registrar certifies that the supply of personal information or information on that motor vehicle would be likely to prejudice—

  3. the security or defence of New Zealand:
    1. the international relations of the Government of New Zealand:
      1. the maintenance of the law, including the detection, investigation, and prevention of offences:
        1. the right to a fair trial of any person:
          1. the privacy or personal safety of any person.

            1. The Registrar must decline to supply personal information or information on a motor vehicle if the Registrar has granted confidential status under subsection (2).

            2. Despite subsection (3), information from the register—

            3. may be supplied for the purposes set out in section 235(a) to (c) if the supply of the information is approved by the Registrar; and
              1. must be released if disclosure is—
                1. required by another enactment; or
                  1. to the Police at the request of the Commissioner of Police.

                    2. In considering under subsection (4)(a) whether to approve a supply of information, the Registrar must—

                    3. consult any agency that provided advice in support of the granting of confidential status in respect of the vehicle or vehicles to which the information relates; and
                      1. have regard to the reasons for which that status was granted.

                        Compare
                        Notes
                        • Section 239: inserted, on , by section 32(3) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
                        • Section 239(4)(b)(iii): repealed, on , by section 7 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicle Discount Scheme Repeal) Amendment Act 2023 (2023 No 66).