This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
This page provides information regarding processes and procedures for SuperGold Card (the scheme) concession payments for off-peak public transport for SuperGold Card holders.
This activity is funded by Crown appropriation with the provision for a last resort top up of SuperGold funding to local government from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) (public transport services activity class). The Crown appropriation is managed by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on behalf of the Ministry of Transport.
The following are the principles on which the scheme is administered:
The Ministry of Transport is responsible for developing and reviewing SuperGold Card concession policy, including eligibility of services for the scheme (all contracted public transport services approved by us (NZTA as investor) are eligible), and for setting overall funding levels.
Qualifying activities comprises concession payments for off-peak public transport for SuperGold Card holders.
Work category 522 is available to the public transport services activity class.
Public transport services and infrastructure
Examples of qualifying activities include, but may not be limited to:
Other potential activities that are not on the above list should be discussed with us for eligibility.
Work category 522 excludes:
Specific policy settings (previously set out in a memorandum of understanding) apply under which the scheme will operate and, in particular, the terms and conditions on which we will reimburse councils through Crown funding.
The following off-peak periods apply:
A card holder who boards a service within 10 minutes before the start of an agreed off-peak period or within 10 minutes after the end of an agreed off-peak period is to be treated as having boarded the service during an agreed off-peak period.
An eligible service is any public transport service identified in an RPTP, including scheduled contracted bus, train and ferry services available in urban areas within a region.
The following services are excluded from the scheme and must not be included in eligible services:
Each council must allow us to audit the council’s systems for collecting and holding certificates of patronage and supporting information, and the related data, from time to time as convenient to the council and us, acting reasonably.
The council must inform us of all reports of attempted misuse of SuperGold Cards received from operators, as well as any misuse detected in its audit processes.
Approved organisations submit these activities using the SuperGold Card activity module in Transport Investment Online (TIO).
Transport Investment Online(external link)
For guidance on using TIO, see the TIO learning and guidance page on our website.
Transport Investment Online (TIO) learning and guidance
Note: funding allocations to individual councils in forward years will be adjusted year-on-year to reflect both proportional change in SuperGold patronage and proportional change in the cost of off-peak services, with each of these used as simple year-on-year adjustment factors to which a consumer price index adjustment agreed with the Crown will be applied.
Close monitoring is required of monthly SuperGold patronage and the expenditure. Approved organisations must provide monthly patronage reports to support claims made via TIO.
The approved SuperGold allocation for each approved organisation will be paid within the first quarter of a new NLTP year.
SuperGold Card patronage for contracted services is to be reported in the monthly return for public transport via TIO, broken down by public transport units for individual approved organisations.
The monthly SuperGold Card returns made by approved organisations via TIO must also include exempt SuperGold services and their related exempt patronage to support claims made in accordance with the provision of current exempt services agreements.
