WELLINGTON
The Customhouse, 1 Hinemoa Street, Wellington
PO Box 2218, Wellington 6140
Phone: 04 901 4500 Fax: 04 901 4555 All general enquiries phone: 0800 428 786
Email: [email address] Website: www.customs.govt.nz
20 March 2023
Ref: OIA 22-136
Mason Helm
By email:
[FYI request #20082 email]
Tēnā koe Mason
Revised response to your request for information under the Official Information Act
1982
Thank you for your email dated 30 July 2022 to the New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs) via the FYI website, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“1. How many ANPR cameras does Customs use, monitor, or otherwise have access
to? (Including third party access).
2. What Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) databases does Customs
have access to?
3. Does Customs have any contracts or integration with Securogroup, SaferCities,
Auror, or vGRID?
4. What software, database, or other method of access is used to remotely view
video feeds from third parties such as Howick Village Association. See
https://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2022/05/HW_20220516_AGN_1030
AT.htm”
On 21 February 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman notified Customs of your complaint in
relation to Customs’ decision to withhold information in scope of questions one to three of
your request under section 6(c) of the Act, where making available the information would be
likely to prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and
detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial.
Customs has reconsidered your request. Please find below revised responses to questions
one to three of your request.
Question one – How many ANPR cameras does Customs use, monitor, or otherwise
have access to? (Including third party access)
I can advise that Customs does not have any of its own ANPR cameras.
In relation to the part of your request for information about Customs’ use, monitor and
access to ANPR cameras, Customs is refusing this part of your request under section 18(g)
of the Act, as Customs does not hold up-to-date information in relation to the third party
ANPR-related services that it uses (currently via Auror Limited on a trial basis), and has no
grounds for believing that the information is either held by another department, or connected
more closely with the functions of another department. You may wish to contact Auror
Limited directly to discuss the number of ANPR cameras in their networks.
For completeness, I can advise that Customs consulted with Auror Limited, who provided
Customs with an estimate number of ANPR cameras accessible to Customs as at March
2021. We have been advised by Auror Limited that this number is no longer accurate, and
that Customs should treat the estimate number as commercially sensitive information. Auror
Limited is operating in a competitive market for providing ANPR services. As such, Customs
is withholding the estimate number of ANPR cameras under s9(2)(b)(ii) OIA, as Customs
has reasonable grounds to believe that releasing this information would be likely to
unreasonably prejudice the supplier, including providing a benchmark that Auror Limited’s
competitors could use to ascertain Auror Limited’s market share and penetration.
We consider the public interest arguments in favour of making this information available do
not outweigh the necessity to withhold this information.
Question two – What Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) databases does
Customs have access to?
Customs has access to the ANPR databases provided by Auror Limited on a trial basis.
Question three – Does Customs have any contracts or integration with Securogroup,
SaferCities, Auror, or vGRID?
As mentioned in our revised response to question one, Customs has a trial agreement for
ANPR services with Auror Limited. There is no Customs integration with any of the listed
services.
You have the right, by way of complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman under section 28(3)
of the Act, to seek an investigation and review of the decision conveyed in this letter.
In the first instance, if you have any queries in relation to this response, please contact the
Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing team at:
[email address]. Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Official Information Act requests
on our website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after we have sent it
to you. Your name and contact details will be removed.
Nāku noa, nā
Debbie Kay
Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing Manager
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