stop road user charges

Peter from Richmond

The issue
Stop New Zealand’s Electronic Road User Charges (eRUC) Surveillance System

To: New Zealand Government, Ministry of Transport, Members of Parliament

What’s at Stake? The upcoming electronic Road User Charges (eRUC) system will use GPS and digital tracking to monitor vehicle movements for charging purposes. This means the government will collect detailed data on where, when, and how far every vehicle travels—affecting every driver in New Zealand.


Why This Matters:

1. This system builds a massive surveillance framework that risks your privacy and freedom of movement.


2. Data breaches and misuse of such sensitive vehicle location data are real and documented risks.


3. It sets a precedent for linking vehicle tracking with government digital ID systems and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), leading to unprecedented citizen monitoring and control.


4. Once in place, reversing this system will be extremely difficult, gradually normalizing constant government tracking.


5. New Zealand’s only oil refinery, Marsden Point, has been non-operational since 2022, meaning we fully rely on imported refined fuels subject to volatile global markets.


6. The public has no direct control or say over rising fuel prices, which are influenced by international supply, demand, and geopolitics.


7. The government does not set fuel prices and can impose additional taxes at any time, potentially increasing costs at the pump without meaningful public input.


8. This lack of fuel price control combined with the shift to electronic road user charges raises serious concerns about fairness and financial burden on New Zealanders.


What We Want:

1. Halt the rollout of the eRUC system until thorough, independent privacy impact assessments are done with full public consultation.


2. Enforce strict privacy protections: collect only essential data, minimise retention, and ban data sharing beyond billing.


3. Provide opt-out alternatives so drivers are not forced into digital tracking systems.


4. Transparent legal limits preventing integration with digital ID or CBDC platforms.


5. Recognition that the absence of a domestic refinery and dependence on imported fuels limits public influence over fuel costs, underscoring the need for fair and transparent road user charging.


Join Us:

By signing this petition, you stand up for your right to privacy, freedom from constant government surveillance, and fair treatment in fuel and road user charges. Together, we can demand a safer, fairer road user charging system that respects New Zealand values. petition link chng.it...