Thales will supply New Zealand’s first electronic contactless smart transport ticket to the city of Auckland.

The $87m contract has been awarded by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) in conjunction with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

The new system will be used by the ARTA to process daily transactions from the transport operators fare collection systems, undertake financial reconciliation and securely manage cardholder records.

It is expected to be rolled out in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.