Palmerston North Office
Private Bag 11777
Palmerston North 4442
New Zealand
www.nzta.govt.nz
27 February 2018
R. M. Sweeney
[FYI request #7189 email]
REF: OIA-3526
Dear R. M. Sweeney
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 29 January 2018 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Please provide details from successful applications to be exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet,
relating to Part 11 of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 (SR 2004/427). Please state if an
application was accepted on grounds of disability, religion, or other reasonable grounds.
If applications were accepted due to disability please state what the applicant's disability was. If
applications were accepted on religious grounds please state to which religion the applicant
belonged. If applications were accepted on other reasonable grounds please state what those
grounds were. Please only provide information relating to applications since 2004.
The following documents fall within the scope of your request and are attached:
•
Attachment 1: A table containing details relating to bicycle helmet exemptions granted on grounds
of disability (medical reasons).
•
Attachment 2: A table containing details relating to bicycle helmet exemptions granted on grounds
of religion.
Please note that only one exemption has been granted under the category of ‘other reasonable
grounds’ due to the applicant having dreadlocks (and an inability to fit a helmet). This exemption was
granted in 2005.
When applying for a cycle helmet exemption on medical grounds, the applicant must provide a
supporting medical certificate/report issued by their General Practitioner. The report must provide
details of the condition/disability affecting the individual and the effect this has on their ability to wear
a helmet.
With respect to the information supplied in Attachment 2, please note the following points:
• The formal process of applying for a bicycle helmet exemption on religious grounds was
established in 2006; therefore records prior to this date do not exist. The first formal
exemption applications of this kind were received in 2009.
• Unfortunately, details of the applicant’s religion for the single exemption granted in 2013
could not be located.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to refuse
parts 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 the NZ Transport Agency, please contact Tara Kiriona, Senior
Customer Access Representative, by email to [email address] or by phone on 0800 822 422.
Yours sincerely
Michelle Charlton
Senior Manager Customer Service Centre
