44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
9 May 2024
Frank C
[FYI request #26385 email]
REF: OIA-15184
Dear Frank
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email of 10 April 2024 requesting the fol owing information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I'm curious about how CarJam gets access to your APIs for vehicle info.
Also, I'd like to know how you decided to let CarJam use this API access for their business.
Do they share any revenue with you? And how do you make sure their system is secure?
For context, an organisation requiring access to information held on the Motor Vehicle Register (the
Register) can request access by applying for a Motochek account. Motochek is an online platform
allowing access to certain details from the Register. The information available depends on the level of
access applied for and granted. For example, some organisations are ‘standard’ users, which only
entitles them to vehicle information. Other users can apply for ‘authorised’ access, which also allows
them to access registered person name and address details under section 241 of the Land Transport
Act 1998. You can find information regarding the Motochek application process online at:
www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/how-the-motor-vehicle-register-affects-you/requesting-register-
information/motochek/ The Application Programming Interface (API) is the tool that enables an organisation to access the
information they are entitled to from Motochek. Once registered as a Motochek user, information can
be obtained either by logging in to Motochek via the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA)
Access Portal or through a Common Data Interface (CDI) connection. With that said, one tool does not
give the user access to any more or different information over the other. The type of information an
organisation is entitled to is based on the level of access granted when assessing their Motochek
application.
With regard to CarJam, they original y applied for a Motochek account circa 2006. As this was over 15
years ago, we unfortunately no longer hold details of their Motochek application so cannot confirm how
the decision was made over which tool was best used for CarJam. Therefore, this part of your request
is refused under section 18(g)(i) of the Act as we do not hold the information, nor is there reason to
believe it is held by another agency.
Carjam has access to Register information through a CDI connection. This CDI connection allows
them to build their own reports and pull the information from Motochek into those reports. It also allows
CarJam to put their own front end/user interface on the system.
In terms of ensuring their system is secure and the information obtained is used appropriately, all
Motochek users, regardless of when their account was established, are required to comply with the
Motochek terms and conditions. The terms and conditions are available online at:
www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/how-the-motor-vehicle-register-affects-you/requesting-register-
information/motochek/motochek-terms-and-conditions/. Section 10 specifically refers to security.
Additionally, an independent third-party review of CarJam’s access was completed in August 2013
showing no security risks.
Regarding revenue, the only revenue NZTA receives is the statutory fee payable for each transaction,
which is 18.4c. This fee covers the cost to provide the service and maintain the information held in the
Register. This fee is available online at:
www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/how-the-motor-vehicle-register-
affects-you/requesting-register-information/motochek/motochek-fees/. Any revenue CarJam receives
from their customers is not shared with NZTA.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to refuse
part of your request. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZTA, please contact Ministerial Services by email at
[NZTA request email].
Yours sincerely
Eric van der Plank
Senior Manager Commercial Services
2
