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New
Zealand
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Vehicle
safety
rules & regulations
The two main Internet pages for further information are:
The New Zealand Land Transport Safety Authority has introduced a set of
rules for Vehicle Imports and full information can be obtained from:
- PO Box 2840,
- Wellington,
- Tel. No. (04) 931 8700,
- E-mail: info@ltsa.govt.nz,
- Website: www.ltsa.govt.nz.
The regulations concern two sets of standards and both must be complied
with. One is for frontal impact compliance and one is for safety/other
compliance.
The frontal impact standards apply to all passenger cars (MA) unless
manufactured over 20 years ago, to 4WD (MC) vehicles (not 4WD saloons)
and motorhomes (MB) manufactured after 01/10/03, but not to motorcycles
(LC) or to vans and pick ups (NA). The frontal impact standards cannot
be met by any conversion. The first step is to check the list
of vehicles that comply on the Ltsa website:
If your car is not listed you can check the status with an NZ Entry
Certifier and/or the Manufacturers NZ Distributor www.ltsa.govt.nz/importing/mia-list.html
and/or with
- Mr. Perry Kerr at the NZ Motor
Industry Association,
- PO Box 31 387,
- Lower Hutt,
- Wellington,
- Tel. No. (04) 570 2248,
- E-mail: perryk@xtra.co.nz.
Most modern cars will comply with Frontal Impact Standards and some
guidelines of vehicles that comply are Jaguar models from 1995,
Mercedes Benz from Germany from 1992, Bmw all current series and some
previous series models if fitted with twin airbags, Audi/VW from 1997,
Porsche from 1987, Saab from 1985, all Volvo except 300/400 series,
Alfa Romeo only the latest models from 1999, Peugeot mostly from 1998,
Fiat only the very latest models from 1999, Ford from about 1994 and
Rover with SAR chassis no. from 000101 onwards. Japanese makes vary
from model to model.
To prove frontal impact compliance either your vehicle model is listed
as approved OR you have an approved EC Type Approval Plate/Sticker
normally fixed under the bonnet of a vehicle (for examples see Appendix
4 and 5 at www.ltsa.govt.nz/publications/infosheets/infosheet-2-13-europe.html)
OR you have a Statement of Compliance from the manufacturer
(manufacturers in the UK can sometimes provide this more cheaply than
the NZD300-900 that the manufacturers in New Zealand do).
Safety standard compliance applies to ALL vehicles manufactured after
01/01/91 and covers door retention, interior impact, seat and
anchorages, external projections, head restraints, rear view mirrors,
fog lamps, running lamps, indicators, plate lamps, reversing lamps,
side lamps, headlamps, brakes, stop lamps, tyres and wheels, glazing,
hi-level brakelamps, reflectors, windscreen washers, steering systems,
space saver tyres, replacement parts and airbags. Many cars built for
the European market, and especially newer models, already comply with
the required standards and some other cars can be modified to comply.
To prove safety standard compliance either you have an approved EC Type
Approval Plate/Sticker normally fixed under the bonnet of a vehicle
(for examples see Appendix 4 and 5 at www.ltsa.govt.nz/publications/infosheets/infosheet-2-13-europe.html)
OR you have a Statement of Compliance from the vehicle manufacturer.
Motorcycles manufactured after 01/10/02 need to have an EC
plate/sticker already fixed to the frame or would need a Statement of
Compliance to approved brake standards from the manufacturer.
If a Statement of Compliance is required for either safety/other
standards only or safety and frontal impact standards then the
manufacturers in the UK can sometimes provide this more cheaply
(GBP50–100) than the NZD300–900 that the
manufacturers in New Zealand do.
A final check on all vehicles is made of the paperwork and proof of
ownership. Please note that vehicles that have been modified or
extensively repaired may not pass the Entry Certification test. Entry
Certifying Companies are responsible for checking that vehicles comply
with the rules and carry out roadworthy, compliance and safety tests on
all imported vehicles. It is the vehicle importers responsibility to
appoint an approved Entry Certifier and settle their fees of about
NZD400. Any repairs, modifications, extra fittings etc. that are
required are at an extra cost.
Entry Certifiers that have test centres throughout NZ include:
- The Automobile Association,
- Tel. No. +649 966 8800,
- E-mail aatech@aa.co.nz.
- On Road NZ,
- Tel. No. +649 444 6921,
- E-mail vcsadmin@onroad.co.nz.
- Vehicle Testing NZ,
- Tel. No. +644 381 6500,
- E-mail technical@vtnz.co.nz.
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