1.
WoF / CoF (light and heavy) – NZTA requirements
2.
Entry Certification of ‘Heritage’ vehicles – lapsed registration, recently imported/been here a while and ‘never registered’
3.
Left Hand Drive – NZTA requirements
4.
Importing and restoring – what should be considered and needed for entry certification

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Heavy motor vehicle (GVM 3501kg or greater)
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Light motor vehicle (GVM up to 3500kg)
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Veteran motor vehicle Means a vehicle that was manufactured prior to Jan 1 1919
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Vintage motor vehicle Means a vehicle that was:
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Manufactured on or after Jan 1 1919, and;
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Is at least 40 years old on the date it is registered (or licensed)

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NZTA statistics*:
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The NZ vehicle fleet totals 4.3 mill vehicles including cars, buses, trucks, motor caravans, mopeds, motor cycles, and trailers.
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There are currently 10,600 LHD vehicles on the register - 44 are heavy vehicles**
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Vehicles 30-39 years old total 158,534 (20,000 cars, 21,200 trucks, 101,000 trailers)
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Vehicles 40 years and older total 156,674 (77,000 cars, 12,700 trucks,54,000 trailers)
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From these statistics:
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LHD’s make up 0.25% of the NZ Fleet
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Vehicles 30 years of age and over make up 7.33% of the NZ fleet
* Information obtained from NZTA TRC May 2014
** There may be more vehicles in this category 1 st registered post 1994 as there may be some data integrity issues.

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Vehicles presented for WoF or CoF will be inspected to and must comply with the latest VIRM requirements
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Any vehicles that have undergone restoration involving significant repairs, modifications, or fabrication may require specialist certification prior to gaining a new WoF or CoF.
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Vehicles already registered in NZ as a LHD are not required to be converted to RHD.
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Due to the small numbers of such vehicles, most inspecting organisations / inspectors will not be readily conversant on how to inspect some vehicles, nor apply some of the VIRM requirements.

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Two things key required for Entry Certification:
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Proof of Legal Title
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Vehicle meets all applicable NZ statutory and legislative requirements
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Documentation requirements
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Proof of prior registration in source market – Export Certificate, Registration Document
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Purchase invoice, shipping documentation, documents pertaining to vehicle authenticity (if required)
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Additional NZTA Approvals, Exemptions, or Certifications if required (e.g.SIV, Cat A LHD,
Repair Certification, LVV Certification, Heavy Vehicle Specialist Certification)
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In some cases, vehicles may have to be referred to NZTA on a ‘case by case’ basis for guidance and approval for certification.

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With any vehicle (heavy or light) previously legitimately registered in NZ there shouldn’t be major issues involved in the Re-registration process providing it is unmodified.
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At the time of being presented for Re-registration, Glazing, Seatbelts, Tyres etc. may need to meet vehicle standards (depending on age).
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When a vehicle is presented for certification, the Agent will try and find it in the
Register (Landata) Information such as old registration numbers if available, chassis and engine numbers, general vehicle description is used to search with.
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If documentation showing previous NZ registration cannot be supplied, or the vehicle cannot be found in Landata (often the case with very early registered vehicles), there is provision to apply to NZTA for approval to allow processing of the vehicle for registration.
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An NZTA “Alternative documents” application is used for this and needs to explain the background and make a case for it to be considered as having been NZ registered before.

ALL Left-hand drive vehicles
Unless they were certified for entry into service in New Zealand before 1 April
2010, no left-hand drive vehicles may be certified for registration in NZ, except as set out below;
Refer to NZTA Factsheet 12 - Importing a Left-hand drive vehicle

LHD vehicle categories:
Category A: Special interest light vehicles less than 20 years old
These are LHD vehicles under 20 years of age that have been recognised as special interest vehicles by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and have been issued with a
Category A Left-hand drive vehicle permit .
Refer to NZTA Factsheet 12a – Category A Special Interest Left-hand drive vehicles.

Category B: Light vehicles that are 20 years old or more
These are LHD light vehicles manufactured more than 20 years before their certification for entry into service in New Zealand.

Category C: Specialist vehicles
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Category C1: Vehicles with dual steering columns and controls.
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Category C2: Mobile cranes, vehicles with self-laying tracks, agricultural tractors or selfpropelled agricultural harvesting machines, or earthmoving machines.
NZTA must confirm in writing that it is satisfied that:
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(a) the operation of the vehicle requires it to be a left-hand drive vehicle; or
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(b) the vehicle is only available as a left-hand drive vehicle.
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Category C3: Any specialist vehicle that the Agency is satisfied has special
characteristics, or is equipped for special operational purposes, such that conversion to right-hand drive is impractical.
The NZTA must confirm in writing that it is satisfied that the vehicle has special characteristics, or is equipped for special operational purposes, such that conversion to righthand drive is impractical.
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Category C4: Any motor vehicle that is a purpose-built hearse (must be identified as a hearse by the vehicle manufacturer).
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Category C5: Vehicles used in motor sport competition, and operated in accordance with the conditions of a valid motor sport authority card.

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Category D: Vehicles operated by diplomats.
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Category E: Vehicles exempt from registration and licensing.
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Category F: Any vehicle that was formerly owned by the Crown.
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Category G: Motorcycles with side cars.

For LHD vehicles that don’t fit into the categories above, the NZTA will consider applications for exemptions from the requirements in NZ legislation but must consider each individual application on its own.
Any application made must only be for an individual vehicle, not for a group or type of vehicle.
An NZTA “Vehicle Standards Exemption application form” is to be used for this.
This is available from the NZTA website or an NZTA entry certification agent.

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NZ requirements are VERY complex – DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE
PARTING WITH YOUR MONEY. Refer to the NZTA Website “My Vehicle” tab
“Guide to importing a vehicle” at http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/importing/index.html
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DO NOT believe that applying ‘common sense’ to your vehicle selection, or to any documentary requirements, repairs, modifications, or restorations will result in the vehicle being easily certified for use on NZ roads. Make sure you
KNOW the requirements before hand and follow them closely.
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Landing a clearly non-compliant vehicle in NZ WILL NOT RESULT IN NZTA
TREATING IT OTHERWISE.
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Finally, if you can, LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS.

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Some restoration work can be considered by entry certifiers as ‘structural repairs’ requiring specialist certification
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Similarly, any changes or ‘improvements’ made during restoration may be breach the ‘modification’ threshold and trigger the requirement for LVV Certification (light vehicles) and Heavy Vehicle certification.
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For LHD’s, major modifications (changing the vehicles design and usage) may alter the ability to keep the vehicle in LHD form.