Thursday, 28 May 2026, 7:10 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Rent A Car
New Zealand’s visitor mix continues to shift toward
family groups, multi-generational travellers, and
extended-family parties from the Pacific and Asia, placing
fresh demand on larger rental vehicle categories at major
airport gateways. Auckland Airport handled 18.9 million
passengers in the calendar year 2025, including 10.4 million
international travellers, according to the airport’s own
reporting. With Chinese visitor arrivals up 41,700 (a 214
per cent increase) in February 2026 compared with the same
month in 2025, group-oriented travel volumes have grown
significantly faster than overall arrivals.
The
composition of these arrivals matters for the rental sector.
Stats NZ data shows Australian visitors accounted for 1.54
million arrivals in the year to February 2026, with Pacific
Island, Chinese and other extended-family markets also
contributing strongly. Visitors travelling in groups of five
or more increasingly turn to
van hire at Auckland Airport for vehicles that can
transport family parties along with luggage in a single
trip. Demand peaks during summer school holidays and Chinese
New Year, when 8, 10 and 12-seater configurations move
quickly through major branches.
South Island arrivals
follow a similar pattern. Dunedin, with its growing tertiary
and Pacific Island connections alongside heritage tourism
appeal, sees particular demand for multi-passenger vehicles.
According to IBISWorld, the New Zealand passenger car rental
and hiring industry comprises 682 businesses operating
nationwide, with an estimated $2.3 billion market size in
2025. Visitors planning family-oriented Otago itineraries
increasingly arrange van
rental in Dunedin to access coastal drives, the Otago
Peninsula, and onward journeys into the Catlins, with
standard car driver’s licences sufficient for most vans up
to 12 seats.
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Providers such as NZRAC operate branches
at Auckland Airport, Dunedin and across both islands,
maintaining van and minibus inventory year-round to
accommodate group travel demand. As international arrivals
continue to track toward MBIE’s target of 3.9 million by
end-2026, the structural shift toward larger rental vehicles
for group itineraries is expected to remain a defining
feature of the
sector.
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