Latest news with #LandTransportRulesReformProgramme
Otago Daily Times
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
25% of district's cars unwarranted
A quarter of Waitaki's total passenger vehicle fleet is unwarranted, latest data shows. Data supplied from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency show, as of July 28, a total of 4651 private, passenger-class vehicles did not have a warrant of fitness. That is 24% of the 19,070 passenger vehicles (car or van) that are required have an up-to-date, "passed" warrant. Nationally, just 16% of the vehicle fleet is unwarranted. Of those lacking a warrant of fitness in Waitaki, 1009 vehicles are also lacking a current registration (annual licence). There are 813 vehicles that have a warrant but no registration. The situation was put into the spotlight after an Oamaru man questioned why vehicles regularly parked on a street in Oamaru with no valid warrant and/or licence were not being issued tickets or infringement notices. He was told the issue dated back six years and a decision of the Waitaki District Council not to apply to central government for the necessary delegated power to issue stationary vehicle offence notices. "Registration of vehicles is a central government licensing and taxation requirement; warrant of fitness is a vehicle safety issue which is outside the enforcement capability of council," WDC regulatory manager Andrew Bardsley said. "Council has a bylaw that allows it to enforce 'parking' related issues, not vehicle safety or licensing non-compliance. Applying for this delegation would make us the enforcement, and revenue collection agency for central government, but would require resourcing from the council. "Waitaki District Council is responsible for the safety of council roads, and enforcement of parking-related issues. New Zealand Police are responsible for the safety and licensing of vehicles using the roads." Police say they attend parking issues "if available, depending on other deployment priorities". The government will be reviewing warrant frequency and inspection requirements for light vehicles as part of the Land Transport Rules Reform Programme, which encompasses several workstreams that aim to reduce compliance and improve safety and fleet quality. "One of these workstreams is reviewing warrant of fitness and certificate of fitness frequency and inspection requirements for light vehicles while ensuring the safety of those vehicles is of a high standard," Associate Transport Minister James Meager said. "This work is ongoing. We'll have more information to share in due course."
Otago Daily Times
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
25% of district's cars un-warranted
A quarter of Waitaki's total passenger vehicle fleet is un-warranted, latest data shows. Data supplied from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency show, as of July 28, a total of 4651 private, passenger-class vehicles did not have a warrant of fitness. That is 24% of the 19,070 passenger vehicles (car or van) that are required have an up-to-date, "passed" warrant. Nationally, just 16% of the vehicle fleet is un-warranted. Of those lacking a warrant of fitness in Waitaki, 1009 vehicles are also lacking a current registration (annual licence). There are 813 vehicles that have a warrant but no registration. The situation was put into the spotlight after an Oamaru man questioned why vehicles regularly parked on a street in Oamaru with no valid warrant and/or licence were not being issued tickets or infringement notices. He was told the issue dated back six years and a decision of the Waitaki District Council not to apply to central government for the necessary delegated power to issue stationary vehicle offence notices. "Registration of vehicles is a central government licensing and taxation requirement; warrant of fitness is a vehicle safety issue which is outside the enforcement capability of council," WDC regulatory manager Andrew Bardsley said. "Council has a bylaw that allows it to enforce 'parking' related issues, not vehicle safety or licensing non-compliance. Applying for this delegation would make us the enforcement, and revenue collection agency for central government, but would require resourcing from the council. "Waitaki District Council is responsible for the safety of council roads, and enforcement of parking-related issues. New Zealand Police are responsible for the safety and licensing of vehicles using the roads." Police say they attend parking issues "if available, depending on other deployment priorities". The government will be reviewing warrant frequency and inspection requirements for light vehicles as part of the Land Transport Rules Reform Programme, which encompasses several workstreams that aim to reduce compliance and improve safety and fleet quality. "One of these workstreams is reviewing warrant of fitness and certificate of fitness frequency and inspection requirements for light vehicles while ensuring the safety of those vehicles is of a high standard," Associate Transport Minister James Meager said. "This work is ongoing. We'll have more information to share in due course."
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
VIA Applauds Government Move To Overhaul Land-Transport Rules
The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (VIA) has welcomed the announcement by Transport Minister Hon Chris Bishop of a seven-stream Land Transport Rules Reform Programme, describing it as 'the breakout moment the sector has been waiting for.' The programme's sixth stream – a complete overhaul of the vehicle regulatory system – directly answers VIA's long-standing call for a simpler, outcomes-based rulebook. 'Right now we're forced to navigate more than twenty different Land Transport Rules, seven separate Vehicle Inspection Requirement Manuals, and about fifty technical bulletins tacked onto the Entry Compliance Manual,' says VIA Chief Executive Greig Epps. 'That's regulatory archaeology. Every layer of paper adds cost without adding safety.' Mr Epps says the Government's pledge to streamline import requirements and recognise overseas standards is 'exactly the reset the industry – and ordinary Kiwi motorists – need'. 'If we focus on the result we all want – safe, clean vehicles at a fair price – then align the best international standards to that goal, compliance stops being a cost sink and starts being a productivity lever,' he says. VIA has argued for a two-tier framework: one rule that states the desired outcomes, and a dynamic list of accepted global standards that inspectors and importers can reference in real time. The Association will work with officials to uncover and fix duplicated rules and outdated requirements as consultation begins. 'We're ready to bring practical fixes to the table so the reform doesn't get bogged down in theory,' Mr Epps says. Minister Bishop's plan signals most decisions will be made within 18 months, with public consultation on the broader overhaul scheduled for mid-2026. 'We'll be at the front of that queue,' Mr Epps says. 'This is a chance to cut red tape, lower costs for families, and keep the fleet moving toward safer, lower-emission vehicles.' For more information: ABOUT VIA (Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association) represents businesses involved in importing, preparing, wholesaling, and retailing used vehicles into New Zealand, primarily from Japan, Singapore, and other markets. As the industry's collective voice, VIA engages with government and stakeholders to support fair regulation and sustainable practices across the sector.
NZ Autocar
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Land transport rules up for reform
There are plans afoot to overhaul New Zealand's land transport rules. Transport Minister Chris Bishop says the Government will be pushing ahead with reforms in a bid to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve efficiency across the sector. These should be more effective than a road cone hot line too. The review is part of the newly announced Land Transport Rules Reform Programme, which Bishop says is aimed at stripping out outdated regulations and easing compliance costs for road users and businesses. 'Land transport rules set out how different sectors of the transport industry must operate. They impact all road users – from the suburban mum or dad who has to get a Warrant of Fitness every year no matter how new or well-maintained their car, to the truckies who've been loaded up with compliance costs due to rules long since made redundant through advances in technology,' Bishop says. Examples highlighted by Bishop include the current Road User Rule that doesn't permit e-scooters in cycle lanes or allow young children to cycle on footpaths, and a reliance on hard copy letters – with 14 million mailed last year at a cost of $16.8 million. Bishop points to earlier consultation this year on reducing Warrant and Certificate of Fitness renewal requirements for motorhomes and vintage vehicles as a sign of the Government's approach to 'common-sense' reform. 'Now we're taking that same common-sense approach to other transport rules through a comprehensive programme of work to reform and update them, with most decisions expected to be made over the next 18 months,' he says. A key area under review is the introduction of additional safety requirements for imported vehicles, which could have significant implications for the used import sector. Seven streams of reform The Land Transport Rules Reform Programme includes seven key areas: Reducing WOF and COF inspection frequency for vintage vehicles and motorhomes. Introducing new safety requirements for vehicle imports. Reviewing WOF/COF requirements for light vehicles. Simplifying heavy vehicle licensing, weight thresholds and freight permits. Enabling digital driver licences, removing physical labels and stickers, and allowing online theory testing. Improving lane use, including allowing e-scooters in cycle lanes, children cycling on footpaths, and requiring vehicles to give way to buses. Overhauling the vehicle regulatory system to streamline import requirements and align with overseas standards. 'The work delivers on commitments in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport and the Road Safety Objectives document to review the vehicle regulatory system to improve safety, reduce regulatory burden, and ensure our domestic rules are fit for purpose, investigate our warrant of fitness system to more effectively and efficiently target risk, and investigate new safety requirements for vehicles entering the fleet,' says Bishop. Some elements of the reform will take longer than 18 months, including the complete overhaul of the vehicle regulatory system and a review of the Vehicle Dimension and Mass rule. Consultation timeline Public consultation will begin in October 2025 on: Additional safety requirements for imports Changes to WOF and COF requirements for light vehicles Freight permitting changes Further consultation is expected in early 2026 on: Licensing weight thresholds Digital driver licences and e-documents Lane use and traffic control device changes A review of the broader vehicle regulatory system will begin consultation in mid-2026.
