The Government has announced a sweeping reform of New Zealand’s land transport rules, aiming to cut red tape, reduce costs, and boost productivity across the country’s transport system.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the current rules framework was out of date and burdened everyday road users and businesses with unnecessary compliance costs.

“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 said.

“Right now, the rules system is overly cumbersome to update and creates a substantial administrative burden for New Zealand businesses trying their best to operate safely, legally and efficiently.”

Bishop said the rules were littered with “nonsensical or outdated requirements,” citing examples such as e-scooters being prohibited from using cycle lanes, and young children not being allowed to ride bikes on footpaths. He also pointed to outdated communication practices.

“Several rules require hard copy letters to be posted instead of sending emails, which last year alone resulted in 14 million hard copy letters, reminders, and labels being posted at a cost to the taxpayer of $16.8 million,” he said.

“While some of these letters will still need to be printed and posted, the rules reform programme will make it possible for many of these services to be modernised.”

The new Land Transport Rules Reform Programme builds on earlier work to reduce Warrant of Fitness (WOF) and Certificate of Fitness (COF) inspections for vintage vehicles and motorhomes. It will now expand to seven core areas:

1. Reducing the frequency of WOF and COF inspections for vintage vehicles and motorhomes.

2. Considering phased safety requirements for vehicle imports.

3. Reviewing inspection frequency and requirements for light vehicles.

4. Simplifying licensing and permitting for heavy vehicles and freight.

5. Introducing digital driver licences and replacing printed labels with digital alternatives.

6. Improving rules around lane use and traffic devices, including allowing e-scooters in cycle lanes and children on footpaths.

7. Overhauling the vehicle regulatory system to improve adaptability and align with overseas standards.

Bishop said the programme would deliver on commitments outlined in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport and the Road Safety Objectives document.

He confirmed that while most decisions are expected within 18 months, some longer-term work — such as overhauling the vehicle regulatory system and reviewing the Vehicle Dimension and Mass rule — would extend beyond that timeframe.

“Our Government wants to remove pointless inefficiencies — things that we do simply because we’ve always done it that way,” Bishop said.

“It’s not good enough to force New Zealand businesses to comply with outdated rules simply because it’s too hard to update them. Removing or updating rules that are no longer relevant and that have little real benefit will mean we can focus on driving our economy forward.”

Public consultation will begin in October 2025, focusing on safety requirements for imports, changes to WOF/COF frequency for light vehicles, and freight permitting. Further rounds of consultation are scheduled for early and mid-2026.