Required documentation and registration

1 Proof of legal possession

(a) Vehicles previously registered

Table 1-1-1 and Table 1-1-2 describe the required documentation to prove legal entitlement to a vehicle (including motorcycles and mopeds).

Table 1-1-1. Proof of legal entitlement (vehicles previously registered)

Table 1-1-2. Proof of legal entitlement (vehicles not previously registered)

2 Proof of compliance with vehicle standards

A vehicle owner/importer must provide documentation that proves that the vehicle complies with New Zealand’s legal requirements. Specific requirements depend on the vehicle’s class, date of manufacture and/or date of first registration. Documents not described in Table 1-1-3, or not displaying the correct Japanese characters, must be referred to the Waka Kotahi Vehicle Standards team for assessment.

Further proof of both frontal impact standards and exhaust emissions compliance is required unless specifically mentioned in the table below.

Table 1-1-3. Proof of standards compliance

For proof of brakes standard compliance for class MD3, MD4, ME, NB and NC vehicles, see Technical bulletin 31. For proof of standards compliance for motorhomes, see Technical bulletin 11.

• Further evidence may be required to prove compliance with approved frontal impact standards. For information on determining frontal impact compliance, see Vehicle structure 3-2 Determining frontal impact compliance.
• Further evidence may be required to prove compliance with approved vehicle exhaust emissions standards. For information on determining exhaust emission standard compliance, see Technical Bulletin 28 Exhaust emissions standard compliance.

2.1 Statement of compliance

A statement of compliance is acceptable evidence of standards compliance provided that it is in an approved format and contains all the information and declarations shown in the example (Reference material 19). The vehicle inspector must check that the standards listed are currently recognised in New Zealand. If a statement of compliance shows a valid European Whole of Vehicle Approval number (eg 2001/116 or later) the vehicle may be accepted for all standards except exhaust emissions.

A manufacturer is not obligated to issue a statement of compliance, and may charge a reasonable fee for issuing one.

A statement of compliance must be:

• completed as fully as possible. If a system or component is not certified as complying with a standard, it should be noted appropriately on the statement of compliance. However, vehicle manufacturers may attach a schedule listing the standards to which the vehicle was certified. In such cases, the statement of compliance should be annotated with ‘see attached schedule’ and must still be signed and completed
• issued by an authorised manufacturer’s representative recognised on the New Zealand Motor Industry Association’s (MIA) list (Note 1), or a manufacturer’s representative holding an appropriate position (eg homologation manager) with the vehicle manufacturer.

A statement of compliance may mention if a vehicle is subject to any open safety-related recalls. Vehicles are not to undergo certification if they still have open safety-related recalls logged by the manufacturer. Vehicle inspectors must ensure that all outstanding safety-related recalls (recorded on the statement of compliance) are carried out prior to certification. The vehicle owner will need to provide a letter from either the manufacturer’s representative (or a franchise dealer) stating that the recall has been carried out. A copy of the letter must be held on the vehicle file.

If a statement of compliance is issued by a New Zealand manufacturer’s representative, it must be accompanied by an original letter signed by the same representative on the manufacturer’s letterhead, unless the statement of compliance is copied directly onto the manufacturer’s original letterhead.

If a statement of compliance is issued by a manufacturer’s representative from outside New Zealand for a vehicle make shown on the MIA list, the vehicle inspector must confirm that documentation requirements are met, check that the standards listed are correct and provide a copy (eg fax) to the New Zealand-based representative for the vehicle make as shown on the MIA list.

If a statement of compliance is issued by a manufacturer’s representative for a vehicle make not recognised on the MIA list, the vehicle inspector must provide a copy of the statement of compliance to the Waka Kotahi Vehicle Standards team (vehicles@nzta.govt.nz) for validation. Once validation is confirmed, the vehicle inspector must confirm that documentation requirements have been met and that the standards listed are correct.

Note 1

The New Zealand Motor Industry Association (MIA) has provided a list of manufacturers’ representatives who are authorised to issue a statement of compliance. This list is available on the Waka Kotahi website by contacting the Waka Kotahi Helpdesk (0800 699 000) or by emailing info@nzta.govt.nz.

Note 2

In cases where a manufacturer has listed ‘Jisha 899’ or ‘Jisha 896’ instead of a Japanese technical standard, it can be taken to mean that the particular component or system complies with a Japanese technical standard required by New Zealand’s vehicle standards rules.

Note 3

If a vehicle is presented for certification and there appears to be an error in the VIN on the vehicle documentation (eg de-registration certificate), the vehicle owner must get confirmation from the vehicle manufacturer or manufacturer’s representative that the VIN/chassis number on the vehicle is correct. This information must be forwarded to Vehicles Standards team for consideration.

Note 4

Electronic signatures are acceptable.

Note 5

An electronic copy of a statement of compliance can be accepted, provided that it was sent from the manufacturer’s homologation department and has been sent directly to the entry certifier from the homologation department.

2.2 Chassis ratings

A heavy vehicle must have a chassis rating approved by Waka Kotahi before it can be registered for use on the road. A chassis rating is a set of data used to indicate the chassis’s maximum weight, as follows:

• For a vehicle first registered before 1 February 1989 that has not been modified on or after 1 April 2005, the chassis rating contains the gross vehicle mass, gross combination (if applicable) and maximum towed mass (if applicable), as approved or determined by Waka Kotahi or a person appointed by Waka Kotahi.
• For a vehicle first registered on or after 1 February 1989 or a vehicle that has been modified on or after 1 April 2005, the chassis rating contains the permitted maximum axle and/or axle-set masses (if available), gross vehicle mass, gross combination mass (if applicable) and maximum towed mass (if applicable), as approved or determined by Waka Kotahi or a person appointed by Waka Kotahi.

Reference material 37 shows the chassis rating request procedure and form templates.

2.3 Type designation numbers

A type designation number (TDN) must be shown on the documentation (ie de-registration certificates and completion inspection certificates) for vehicles manufactured outside Japan for the Japanese market. This indicates that the vehicle has been through the Japanese type approval system and complies with all applicable vehicle standards except frontal impact.

If a TDN is not shown on the Japanese documentation, other proof of compliance must be provided. Alternatively, the vehicle owner may apply for an exemption from the requirement to provide TDN information (see Technical bulletin 27). Some common class MA vehicle models manufactured outside Japan for the Japanese domestic market are shown in Table 1-1-4.

Note 6

Evidence of previous registration in Japan is all that is required to prove compliance with the applicable standards for class L vehicles. Other classes of vehicles still require a TDN. The requirement to have a TDN on the Japanese registration documentation does not apply to class L vehicles.

Note 7

Chrysler Jeep Cherokee vehicles are commonly imported as used vehicles from Japan. In many cases, the TDN has been removed from the vehicle documentation due to minor modifications. Jeep Cherokees imported from Japan with an industry model code of ‘E-7MX’ can be processed for entry certification with or without a TDN displayed on the vehicle documentation, provided they were border checked before 1 February 2008.

Table 1-1-4. Common class MA Japanese makes manufactured outside Japan

• If a vehicle is affixed with a 17 character ISO VIN, it will not have been manufactured in Japan for the Japanese domestic market with one exception:
  • UD trucks began using 17 character ISO VINs for their Japanese domestic market vehicles in 2015).

2.4 Exemption from vehicle standards requirements

In cases where a vehicle cannot be shown to comply with one or more of the approved vehicle standards it is required to meet in order to be registered in New Zealand, a vehicle may be exempt from a requirement by Waka Kotahi under section 168D of the Land Transport Act 1998.

Waka Kotahi must be satisfied that the exemption is no wider than needed to deal with the non-compliance.

Waka Kotahi must also consider:

• the obligation of Waka Kotahi to act in a way that contributes to an effective, efficient, and safe land transport system in the public interest
• the need to maintain or improve land transport safety
• any other matter that Waka Kotahi considers appropriate in the circumstances.

Waka Kotahi may also impose conditions on an exemption.

Breach of a condition will generally mean that you will be in breach of the requirement exempted from.

Exemptions may be for a fixed period (determined by a date or event).

Waka Kotahi can also give exemptions to:

• support the response to an event or emergency
• a class of persons , vehicles, or components

The vehicle owner may apply for an exemption from vehicle standards requirements by submitting a completed Application for an exemption from Land Transport Rules (CA11) form.