12-month WoF and CoF consultation is now open

After many years of discussion and effort, we now stand on the threshold of major positive change that we have all been seeking!

On Monday 24 February, the Federation of Motoring Clubs Inc. (and other key organisations) received a letter from the Minister of Transport (Hon. Chris Bishop).  The Minister’s letter formalises his media announcement on 9 February and announcing that the public submission process for 12-month WoF (all light vehicles 40 years and older, including Motorcycles) & CoF (all privately owned heavy motorhomes) is now open and closes at 5pm, April 4:  Letter from the Minister of Transport.

Please pay close attention to each of the following points which will guide you to maximise the impact we can all have:

  1. Read the Minister’s letter closely, note the link to the “Vehicle Standards Compliance Amendment 2025 Consultation“ page on the NZTA website, where you can complete the submission survey.
    The Agency has provided supporting the following two references to assist you with your submission    : 
    Consultation discussion document
    Draft rule amendment
  2. Please forward this email to all your club members.  It is essential it reaches as many owners of vehicles as possible, so they have an opportunity to make a submission.
  3. Please put maximum effort into your submissions, both as a club and as individuals.  The progress that we have made collectively and so quickly reflects the efforts that the Government is making on our behalf, and we have a clear responsibility to respond accordingly. 
    We only have one opportunity to influence the decision!
  4. There are two ways you can make a submission:

    (i) Use the online survey on the NZTA website, answer the simple questions and optionally include personal comments.
    The online survey can be used for both club (Organisation) and Individual submissions.

    (ii) Write your own submission and email it to rules@nzta.govt.nz.  We have prepared the following two templates to aid your submission:
    TEMPLATE for INDIVIDUALS
    TEMPLATE for CLUBS
    The Microsoft Word templates are normally downloaded to your “Downloads” folder.
  5. Within your submissions, feel free to add your own comments and suggestions with regard to the annual WoF proposals, perhaps including personal reflections such as the savings in time and effort that the changes will mean for you, or the levels of personal expense that you invest annually on your vehicle(s), your low annual mileage, and other “stories”.  Also consider adding:
    – The number of vehicles aged over 40 years you own;
    – The average annual mileage of these vehicles and mileage between WoFs (illustrating there is little opportunity for wear and tear between the 6 monthly inspections);
    – How often these vehicles pass their WoFs first time, and a description of their condition and your maintenance regime
    – The compliance costs associated with obtaining these WoFs; e.g. the actual WoF cost; the time spent obtaining inspections, and the distance travelling to WoF inspectors especially if you live some distance from a WoF inspection centre. For example, some people have to take a day off work or travel many kilometres to the nearest town to obtain a WoF. How much would these costs reduce by if the frequency reduced to annual?
  6. IMPORTANT: You must provide your name in the submission. If your name is missing, the submission will be rejected as invalid, as it needs to be from a person. Email address is optional.

If you also own a heavy motorhome (GVM > 3,500 kg), we encourage you to also make a separate CoF submission for your Motorhome.  The Motor Caravan Association (MCA) are also members of the FoMC and will be providing a detailed submission in support of this proposal.

The Federation is privileged to have been an integral part of this latest and long-awaited development, and it behoves us all to play our part in this submission process which in turn is an integral part of the regulatory change process. 

Please also encourage your members to share this advisory with all your automotive friends and fellow enthusiastsbeyond just your fellow club members. Get them to be part of this great process! Even more so, encourage them to join your club, or get their club to join the Federation of Motoring Clubs
12-month WoF’s and CoF’s are just the beginning and we need as many clubs and their members to ensure further communications reaches as many enthusiasts as possible in a timely manner.  

Rest assured that the Federation itself will be making its own comprehensive submission on our collective behalf, complementing the efforts of all clubs and members as above. This Federation submission is likely to be completed mid-March and will be distributed to all clubs at that time.

Finally, in case you missed them, here are the two TVNZ reports:

Very best wishes, and thanks for all your great support.

Garry 

Garry Jackson, President
NZ Federation of Motoring Clubs Inc.
E: garry.jackson@fomc.nz

February 25, 2025.