New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has signed an initial $5 million establishment contract with Acusensus NZ Limited, to become New Zealand’s new mobile safety camera operator.

NZTA Head of Regulatory Strategic Programmes Tara Macmillan says Acusensus has been involved in mobile safety camera enforcement in Australia for several years and is a highly trusted provider of these services.  

“Acusensus has committed to establishing themselves in New Zealand, and they are in the process of recruiting staff and setting up depots across the country,” Ms Macmillan says. 

NZTA expects to follow the initial six-month establishment contract with a further contract that will run until December 2029, valued at up to $20 million annually. This contract will be for speed-detection only, and based on the number of hours mobile safety cameras are operating. Neither Acusensus or NZTA will receive any incentives or funds from tickets issued. Money from safety camera fines goes into the Government Consolidated Fund.  

Acusenus will only be responsible for providing images to NZTA - they will not decide whether an offence has occurred.  

“NZTA is the enforcement agency for safety camera offences, and we will process all images from the cameras, confirm where a vehicle has been speeding and issue all notices. NZTA will also decide where and when cameras will be located,” Ms Macmillan says. 

“Outsourcing the operation of safety cameras gives us access to the latest technology and processes and systems that are proven. It also means that for the first time, we’ll have unmanned mobile safety cameras in trailers alongside the vehicles New Zealanders are used to. This provides significant flexibility for operations – being able to chose the best camera type for the location, saving money and increasing safety for operators. 

Like now, our mobile safety cameras will operate nationwide, anytime and anywhere. Research shows a mix of signed and unsigned safety cameras of various types generates greater road safety benefits than either one alone. That’s why we’re putting up signs at our permanent safety camera sites and keeping mobile cameras unsigned. Unsigned mobile safety cameras are twice as effective at reducing crashes than sign posted mobile cameras.”

International research has shown covert mobile safety cameras can reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on all roads by around 15%. 

Until recently, NZ Police has been solely responsible for fixed and mobile safety cameras, and officer speed detection. With NZTA partnering with NZ Police on speed enforcement we have a combined effort on keeping everyone safe. We expect to start our mobile safety camera operations in the first half of 2025, and NZTA will be responsible for all safety cameras from July 2025.