The government’s proposed changes would mean the first WoF for new light vehicles would last 4 years.
Photo: 123RF
Automobile Association are on the fence about potential changes to the Warrant of Fitness (WoF) system, which would stretch out WoFs for light vehicles, to once every two years.
The government is asking if New Zealanders support changes, with submissions for the public consultation opening on 29 October.
The one-year rule would continue for vehicles older than 10 years and the first WoF for new light vehicles would last 4 years.
Light vehicles include cars, motorcycles, mopeds, vans, trailers and taxis.
Automobile Association’s principal policy advisor Terry Collins said members were on the fence about the potential change.
“For a start our members are undecided, we have a third of our members that agree with extending the interval, a third that oppose it and a third that are neutral,” he said.
Their top concern was with the longer intervals as Collins said the inspection periods should be based more on distance than time.
“Probably our main concern is around the four year one, we need to do some further work on it because we know that brand new vehicles generally do more distance and we’ve always been a firm believer that distance is a better proxy for wear and tear.
“If you do roughly 15,000km per year, with three years you get to about 45,000km, that’s generally when your tyres are worn out and its your inspection period. We’re just concerned that taking it that extra year longer, what impact that would have around some of those items that wear out on a vehicle.”
He said extending some of the shorter periods such as the six month inspection made more sense but ensuring people were well informed about their vehicle maintenance was key.
“Pushing those ones out for the older vehicles to a year and two years for some of the other vehicles we think is a good idea however we need to support it by people understanding you don’t wait till the warrant of fitness to do the maintenance or those necessary repairs on your vehicle.
“That’s one of the things that we see with the high failure rates is that we believe some people just wait for the inspection period to be told what they need to do to pass the test then spend the money accordingly.”
Transport Minister Chris Bishop had previously said the proposed changes were part of the government’s “bold work programme” to modernise transport rules, and public consultation has opened on three areas.
“These changes are about increasing our transport system’s productivity and safety. The current rules are riddled with outdated or nonsensical requirements which create unnecessary burdens for Kiwis,” Bishop said.
Motor Trade Association (MTA) chief executive Lee Marshall had said the Association agreed it was time the WoF was reviewed to make sure it was fit for purpose.
“Whether the WoF is fit for purpose has been a talking point in the industry for years. We’ll be encouraging all businesses to have their say on the proposals, whether through MTA or direct to government. This is an important conversation to have,” he said.
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