13378 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

13378 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Further to Reply 11668 (2026), was the Certificate of Particulars control, introduced on 8 July 2024 and removed on 16 April 2025, withdrawn while fraudulent conversions were still occurring following the initial detection of fraud in February 2025; if so, who within NZTA authorised the removal of that control; what was the stated reason for its removal; and did the decision-makers who authorised its removal have knowledge of the February 2025 detection at the time?

Hon Chris Bishop: I am advised that the Certificate of Particulars (CoP) control introduced on 8 July 2024 was not withdrawn on 16 April 2025, but amended. Rather than requiring a CoP in all cases where the country of primary identification and the country of licence differed, the control was adjusted so that a CoP was required where the country of primary identification was a non-exempt country and the country of licence presented was an exempt country. The control therefore remained in place in an amended form. The change was made as part of business-as-usual operational settings to reflect updated risk assumptions and exemption settings within the licensing framework. At the time the change was made, the assessment into possible fraud was intentionally limited to a small, tightly controlled group until the concerns were substantiated. Decision makers responsible for the amendment were not making the decision in response to, or for the purpose of, addressing the fraudulent activity first detected in February 2025.