Licence plate lookup systems of New Zealand

Section 236[1] and 237[2] of the Land Transport Act 1998 (LTA)[3] allows public access to the Motor Vehicle Register[4] maintained by the NZ Transport Agency. The Motor Vehicle Register records information about vehicles used on New Zealand roads and the persons responsible for their use. The information from the Register can be sourced directly from the NZTA as well as from third parties who include the information with their vehicle information reports.

Services available

Services provided directly by the New Zealand Transport Agency are listed on the official website

Stolen vehicle check

Run by the police this allows the public to check whether a vehicle has been reported stolen.

Basic vehicle information

Multiple vehicle report providers allow to check basic vehicle information free of charge by entering the registration plate number.

Owner confirmation

Although the personal information of vehicle owners is not available to the public,[2] the ownership can generally be confirmed by entering the name or driver's license number of the owner. Some of the vehicle report providers (including CarJam, Checka, That Car) allow to confirm the owner free of charge.

Securities check

Before purchasing a vehicle, buyers can conduct a search of the Personal Property Securities Register to ensure there is no money owing on it.

Automotive parts ordering

Most vehicle manufactures attach a VIN to their vehicles for identification purposes. This can be used to identify a vehicle's particular characteristics for parts ordering and fluid type during maintenance. A License Plate Lookup returns the vehicle's VIN and other data, removing the need for a tradesman to physically locate and record this 17-digit code.

Problem with Japanese imports

With the influx of Japanese Import vehicles VINs were being attached at the NZ border and not by the manufacturer. As a result, much of the information contained in the VIN for parts purchasing purposes is absent[5] and many vehicles still require a tradesperson to physically identify a particular chassis and engine type. VINs attached at the NZ border start with the characters 7A.

One solution adopted by companies such as Repco and PartMaster to identify vehicle characteristics without using a manufacturer's VIN is with an algorithm that analyses other data on the Motor Vehicle Register. The problems include data inconsistencies and prohibitive laws that restrict data analysis of the Register. As a result, the majority of these part lookup systems have been restricted for use by an experienced tradesperson.

Part finding without a tradesman

Goodyear incorporated a licence plate lookup system into its NZ website to suggest the correct tyre for a vehicle, although inspection, specialised equipment and a tradesman will always be required when changing tyres.

Programming interface

As well as purchasing this information from the NZTA through its official supplier Motochek, several companies offer automated access to their vehicle record cache on a cost per vehicle basis. This has reduced the purchase cost of the information and allows businesses to develop their own license plate lookup systems. The companies that currently offer interfaces include MotorWeb, CarJam and Checka.

Land Transport Act vs Official Information Act

While the information on the Motor Vehicle Register is official information, the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)[6] does not affect operation of the LTA. Section 52(3)(b)(ii)[7] the OIA provides that nothing in the OIA derogates from: "Any provision which is contained in any other Act of Parliament... and which ...regulates the manner in which official information may be obtained or made available"

Data inconsistencies

Inconsistencies exist in the register data making automated matching of vehicles difficult. Although many input fields are available[8] most are not mandatory and the quality of the data entered differs depending on the experience of the operator and the information available to them. Open input fields are used in some instances where lists should be provided causing spelling differences and errors. Model and submodel names are sometimes reversed, vehicle features are often omitted. Over a third of all chassis and engine types are missing, incorrect or not machine readable.

Prohibitive laws preventing deep analysis

The NZTA offers data analysis of the register[9] but not with VIN, Engine Number or Chassis Codes as these can uniquely identify a vehicle. Technically, analysis would exclude all uniquely identifying data, however this is a legal grey area that has hindered the development of vehicle matching systems using Motor Vehicle Register information.

References

  1. ↑ "Section 236 Application for information from register". newzealand.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  2. 1 2 "Section 237 Entitlement to receive information". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  3. ↑ "Land Transport Act 1998". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  4. ↑ "Motor Vehicle Register information". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  5. ↑ "NZ Import VIN vs Manufacturer's VIN". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  6. ↑ "Official Information Act 1982". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  7. ↑ "Official Information Act 1982 Section 52". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  8. ↑ "Vehicle Attributes". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  9. ↑ "New Zealand Motor Vehicle Registration Statistics". NZ Transport Agency. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-10.

Vehicle report providers

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