Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is contacting customers following the theft of driver licensing applications from a courier van last week.
The applications were being transported in a courier van that was stolen in Palmerston North last week. The van was later recovered by Police, but four packages containing 151 driver licence application forms were missing, along with a number of other unrelated packages taken from the van. Police have now recovered all four of the packages.
The affected application forms were processed by driver licensing agents in Hornby (Christchurch), Hastings and Palmerston North, and were submitted between 3 July and 6 July.
The applications had been processed through the driver licensing agent network, and new valid photo driver licences have been sent to customers as a result of these applications. The new photo driver licences issued will remain valid. The licences include a unique version number which supersedes and invalidates any previous versions of the photo driver licence card, reducing any potential risk for identity fraud.
While all of the packages have now been recovered, Waka Kotahi understands that the theft will be a concern for affected customers, as the applications contain personal information such as a driver licence number, name, address, other contact information and - in some cases - other personal information supporting the application.
Waka Kotahi is contacting all affected licence holders directly by phone, and will follow up these phone calls with letters providing further information.
There have been no previous incidents of driver licensing application documents being stolen. About 800,000 driver licence applications are processed each year.
Waka Kotahi has notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) of the theft and is providing customers with further information to address any concerns.
While Waka Kotahi will be attempting to proactively contact all affected customers, anyone concerned that they may be affected by this incident can email SupplyContracts@nzta.govt.nz in the first instance, or call 0800 822 422.
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