38519 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

38519 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: What international evidence has the Minister relied on to support the view that a privatised or market-led electronic road user charges system produces better outcomes than a centralised public one, if any?

Hon Chris Bishop: There are no internationally road user charges systems that are directly comparable to ours. The government’s approach builds on the success of our current electronic road user charges system. About half of all heavy vehicles in New Zealand already use an electronic system from a private provider. Users voluntarily opt into those services, demonstrating that this market-based approach provides greater value than other government-provided retail options.