Extra scrutiny on safety mandates
Final decisions on whether to make a number of extra safety features compulsory for imported vehicles have been delayed as government officials conduct further analysis of the proposals.
The coalition announced in June 2025 the possibility of mandating additional requirements for new and used vehicles coming into the country as part of a land-transport rules reform programme.
At that time, consultation was scheduled to take place in late 2025 and any new entry compliance rules were expected to be signed off by May this year.
For new and used light and heavy vehicles, the proposals include mandating automatic emergency braking, lane-keep support systems, and acoustic vehicle-alert systems for “quiet” electric and hybrid units.
For new and used heavy vehicles, mandatory electronic stability control and anti-lock braking systems are being considered.
Any new rules may be introduced in phases, although the consultation document suggested some measures could apply from July 1, 2027.
The NZTA’s public consultation on the reforms closed in mid-December last year, but the decision process has been pushed back as officials carry out extra work on the potential changes.
A Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport spokesperson told Autofile Online: “We expect to provide further analysis of the effects of mandating the features to Associate Transport Minister James Meager by the end of this month.
“Once we have decisions from the minister, we will consider whether the proposed timeframe needs to be revisited.”
The final day of parliament before November’s general election is held September 23, but the cabinet retains full legal power to make decisions and conduct government business up until polling day.
This means Meager can still give any changes the go-ahead before November 7.
Making all the suggested features compulsory would require amendments to four land-transport rules – heavy vehicle brakes 2006, light-vehicle brakes 2002, steering systems 2001 and vehicle equipment 2004.
The transport agency notes the government is likely to use the order in council process if it decides to change any rules, meaning the Governor-General would sign the new regulations on the minister's recommendation.
“If these safety features become mandatory, more vehicles in New Zealand will have them sooner,” states the NZTA website. “This could help lower the number and the seriousness of crashes causing most deaths and serious injuries on our roads.”
The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (VIA) was among those to make a submission on the proposals and has been awaiting a decision from the government.
VIA says the delay in the decision-making process means the original proposed start date of July 1, 2027, for some rules would “cause a severe contraction of supply”. It has asked officials to consider a much later implementation date for any changes.
Greig Epps, chief executive, told Autofile Online he was also concerned about what material and evidence officials have used for their latest analysis.
“I’m concerned industry was not contacted to verify the scope of their further inquiry and the data sets they used,” he adds.
“I don’t have much confidence the assessment in this second round is going to look any different from the original consultation because we don’t have confidence in the data sets they’ve been using.
“I’m grateful the associate minister recognised the initial consultation and advice he received may not have given him the confidence that the right decision was being made and asked for a fresh analysis, but our concern is the new analysis may not take into account any fresh evidence.”
