Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Land Transport Act 1998

Land transport secondary legislation

155: Rules concerning vehicles

You could also call this:

“Rules about how vehicles are built, used, and checked for safety”

You can make rules about vehicles. These rules can cover many things about vehicles and how they work. Here are some of the things the rules can do:

The rules can set standards for how vehicles are built, how big they are, and what they weigh. They can also say what kinds of things vehicles can put into the air and how they affect the environment. The rules can talk about how to load vehicles, how to identify them, how to fix them, and what kind of fuel they use.

Rules can also say what parts and equipment should be in vehicles or used by the driver. They can say when vehicles need to be checked and given certificates to show they’re safe.

Sometimes, vehicles or parts might not be safe or might not follow the rules. When this happens, the rules can say that these vehicles or parts need to be recalled. This means they’re taken off the road to be fixed or replaced.

The rules can say that all motor vehicles in New Zealand need to have a special number to identify them. They can also say when vehicles need to be registered or when their registration should be cancelled.

There are also rules about keeping track of information about vehicles and their parts. The rules can say what kind of information needs to be recorded and shared.

Lastly, the rules can talk about how much fuel or energy vehicles use and how much carbon dioxide they put into the air. They can say how to measure these things and what to do if some information is missing.

These rules are a type of law called secondary legislation. This means they’re made under the power of another law, and they have to be published in a special way.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM435184.

Previous

154: Rules concerning driver licensing, or

"Rules for getting and using a driver's licence in New Zealand"

Next

156: Rules concerning dangerous goods, or

"Rules for keeping everyone safe when moving dangerous things"

Part 11 Land transport secondary legislation

155Rules concerning vehicles

  1. Without limiting the general power to make rules under section 152, ordinary rules may—

  2. set out standards and requirements concerning vehicles, including their construction, mass and dimensions, emissions, environmental requirements, loading requirements, identification, repair, maintenance, modification, inspection, and fuel systems:
    1. set out standards and requirements concerning systems, components, devices, fittings, or equipment to be incorporated in the construction of, fitted to, or carried in or on motor vehicles, or to be used by the driver or any other person:
      1. provide for the recall of vehicles, or components or equipment of vehicles, that do not meet standards or requirements imposed by the rules, and for their recall where there is reason to believe that a procedure or requirement imposed by a rule has not adequately been carried out or complied with, including provisions—
        1. specifying the circumstances in which a vehicle must be recalled:
          1. empowering persons to direct the recall of vehicles:
            1. specifying the persons who may be directed to recall a vehicle (including the manufacturer, the agent of the manufacturer, the importer of the vehicle, the person or organisation responsible for certifying that a vehicle complies with standards or requirements imposed by the rules, or any other person responsible for the presence of a vehicle on a road):
            2. require and provide for vehicle identification numbers to be assigned to motor vehicles being operated in New Zealand:
              1. provide for the periodical or other examination of motor vehicles and the issue of evidence of vehicle inspection and certificates of loading:
                1. provide for the periodical or other examination of traction engines and the issue of a certificate of compliance for boilers and other pressure vessels:
                  1. subject to Part 17,—
                    1. specify when vehicles are to be registered, deregistered, or re-registered:
                      1. set out procedures to verify compliance with standards and requirements of the regulations and the rules:
                        1. provide for the recording and making available of information about vehicles (including their systems, components, devices, fittings, and equipment):
                        2. prescribe requirements for the provision of information and data related to vehicles in terms of their fuel or energy consumption, efficiency, or carbon dioxide emissions:
                          1. prescribe formulas or methodologies for the purposes of determining the fuel or energy consumption, efficiency, or carbon dioxide emissions of a vehicle, including to estimate a value where information or data is incomplete or a test cycle other than the approved test cycle (within the meaning of section 172(1)) has been used:

                            1. Ordinary rules under this section are secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

                            Notes
                            • Section 155(1)(ea): inserted, on , by section 75 of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2005 (2005 No 77).
                            • Section 155(1)(f): amended, on , by section 35(1) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
                            • Section 155(1)(g): inserted, on , by section 5 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Act 2022 (2022 No 2).
                            • Section 155(1)(h): inserted, on , by section 5 of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Act 2022 (2022 No 2).
                            • Section 155(2): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).