5224 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Transport

5224 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Transport: What is the current level of compliance, if any, within the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, with NZ Government Web Standards, which require public sector websites to be accessible?

Hon Chris Bishop: I am advised by the Ministry of Transport (the Ministry) that its website was developed in 2020, prior to the introduction of the current NZ Government Web Standards in March 2025 (the Web Accessibility Standard and the Web Usability Standard). As a result, the website does not fully meet all current accessibility expectations. Achieving full alignment with current standards would require significant redevelopment of the site. The Ministry has paused plans for redevelopment work pending the formation of the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). In the meantime, it continues to make targeted accessibility improvements within its existing website maintenance work programme. I am advised by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi that it is partly compliant with the Government’s Web Standards, and accessibility is a focus area as its public facing websites are modernised. I’m advised its main websites, and any new digital functionalities are built and tested to meet Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, which supports the Government’s accessibility standard. Vendors are expected to meet the same requirements. Officials note accessibility compliance across the rest of its sites is mixed. Older or lower use sites may not meet current standards and are prioritised for improvement based on usage, risk, and impact. Identified accessibility issues are addressed through upgrades or targeted fixes. Some sites contain third party content, which limits the ability to fully remediate all accessibility issues.