13376 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

Written Question
Published date: 23 Apr 2026
13376 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Further to Reply 8830 (2026), what did the figure of 488 impacted licences referred to in the original question represent, why has it since been revised, and what is the basis for the varying figures of 461 fraudulently converted licences and 498 impacted individuals referred to in subsequent replies?
Hon Chris Bishop: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises me that the figure of 488 impacted licences was updated to 498 following a detailed reconciliation and verification of the findings for each individual included in the audit cohort. For clarity and completeness, NZTA completed an audit of 818 overseas driver licence conversions in 2025 (as advised in my response to Written Question 11661 (2026)). This audit confirmed that 461 licences in this cohort were converted using fraudulent or falsified information, and a further 37 were converted to an incorrect class due to administrative error, not fraud. This results in a total of 498 impacted individuals.