How Were ACC's Levy Sausages Made? A Response to John Williams's Article in The New Zealand Herald
Keep It TwistedShow Notes
No guest this week — instead Pete shares MAGNZ’s considered response to an opinion piece published in the New Zealand Herald on 19 August 2026. Written by John Williamson (chairman of Roadsafe Northland and the Northland Road Safety Trust), the article largely backed ACC’s decision to increase motorcycle levies. In this episode, Pete examines the claims made in the article and asks some important questions about how those levies are calculated. Key takeaways: Very few politicians standing in the November election are talking about the ACC motorcycle levy increases — and even fewer are exploring fairer funding models. The widely quoted “4% of vehicles / 20% of costs” statistic doesn’t stand up to closer scrutiny. ACC’s own data and methods contain significant gaps, assumptions and unmatched claims. Charging by engine capacity is a blunt instrument that ignores how, when and how far a bike is actually ridden. Levying every registered motorcycle as if it is constantly on the road creates a “garage-space tax” rather than a true activity-based levy. Transparency matters. Before riders are asked to pay more, ACC should show the full recipe behind the numbers.
Read the article by John Williamson in The Herald HERE Read MAGNZ's written response at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18tRZwyS2W/ Find out more about our campaign against ACC Motorcycle Levy increases at https://magnz.org.nz Grab your limited edition Keep It Twisted tubular scarf at https://buy.stripe.com/bJedR85Wyex2c1h7YH4c800
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