19678 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

19678 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Further to Replies 13374, 17205, 18717, and 18718 (2026), and having regard to Reply 13375 (2026): (a) what did Reply 13374 mean in stating that there was no reference in the statement to February 2025; (b) what did Reply 17205 mean in stating that NZTA considered it inappropriate to reference the February 2025 detection; (c) what did Reply 18717 mean in stating that there was no decision to deliberately omit information; (d) what did Reply 18718 mean in stating that the February 2025 date was not considered for reference; and (e) how does the Minister reconcile those four replies with Reply 13375, and in particular, did NZTA consider whether to reference the February 2025 detection and decide against it, or did NZTA not consider the question at all?

Hon Chris Bishop: I am advised by NZTA that it did not contemplate referencing the earlier detection of potential fraud in February 2025 because it had not been confirmed at that point. The media statement was a factual summary of the steps NZTA was taking in response to confirmed fraudulent driver licensing activity.