Applicable legislation: Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002 (Rule 35001/1) (‘the Rule’)

1.1 Vehicle inspectors and inspecting organisations (definitions in the Rule)

Vehicle inspector means an individual appointed by Waka Kotahi under section 2.2(1) of the Rule to carry out inspection and certification activities in accordance with requirements and conditions imposed by Waka Kotahi

Inspecting organisation means a person or organisation appointed by Waka Kotahi under section 2.2(1) of the Rule who is responsible for inspection and certification outcomes.

In this manual, a vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation is one appointed for the purpose of entry inspection and certification or re-registration of used or parallel-imported new vehicles, unless stated otherwise.

To avoid doubt, any reference to a certifier in any legislation, deed of appointment, or any other relevant document is a reference to a vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation (as applicable) appointed by Waka Kotahiunder the Rule.

1.2 Inspection and certification activities (section 2.1(1) of the Rule)

Only vehicle inspectors and inspecting organisations appointed by Waka Kotahi may carry out inspection and certification activities as specified in the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002 and in this manual.

1.3 Primary duty (section 2.1(2) of the Rule)

Vehicle inspectors and inspecting organisations must carry out inspection and certification activities competently and diligently and in accordance with the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002 and with the requirements in this manual.

1.4 Inspection and certification activities that can be carried out (section 2.2(2) of the Rule)

Vehicle inspectors and inspecting organisations may carry out only those inspection and certification activities for which Waka Kotahi has appointed them.

1.5 Responsibilities to the general public

Vehicle inspectors and inspecting organisations must maintain control of the certification process, charging a reasonable fee and providing courteous service and accurate information to members of the public.

1.6 Requirements, conditions and period of appointment (section 2.3(1) of the Rule)

Waka Kotahi may specify the period of appointment for a vehicle inspector and inspecting organisation and may impose requirements and conditions as to the performance of the inspection and certification activities, including the performance of those activities at individual sites.

1.7 Driver licence

Vehicle inspectors must hold a current driver licence for the vehicles that they are inspecting.

1.8 Fit and proper person (section 2.3(3) of the Rule)

A vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation must be, and continue to be, a fit and proper person.

1.9 Presentation and acceptance of e-mailed inspection and certification documents

The section refers to these inspection and certification documents:

• LT400s, chassis ratings and professional opinions from heavy vehicle specialist certifiers and
• LT307s and LT308s from repair certifiers, and
• chassis ratings from Waka Kotahi.

They can be presented and accepted using email provided that:

(i) emails are be sent directly to the vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation from the heavy vehicle specialist certifier, the repair certifier or the Waka Kotahi, and

(ii) the electronic copy contains all of the information from the original copy and is clear and legible.

These may be:

• printed and stored or
• stored electronically, provided:
  • the electronic copy of the document is not changed and is stored in a way that protects the information from being changed (eg save as a read only file) and
  • the information is readily searchable and accessible if you or Waka Kotahi need it.

1.10 Document retention (section 2.3(4) of the Rule)

A vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation must:

a) keep, for at least five years, the original or verified copy of any documents that have been collected in the certification process

b) keep the following documents in a retrievable form for at least five years:

c) keep heavy vehicle specialist certificates (LT400) for the life of the vehicle.

1.11 Advise incorrect certification and/or vehicle defects (section 2.3(4) of the Rule)

A vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation must:

a) advise Waka Kotahi as soon as practicable if there is a reason to believe that the inspection and certification of a vehicle has been carried out incorrectly

b) advise Waka Kotahi as soon as practicable after becoming aware of a defect in a manufacturer’s production run or quality control process that may affect the safety performance of a vehicle that has been inspected and certified.

1.12 Delegation (section 2.4(1) of the Rule)

A vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation may not delegate any function or power to carry out inspection and certification activities for which they were appointed, except under conditions specified by Waka Kotahi in writing.

The only tasks that may be delegated to non-approved staff are administrative processes such as recording vehicle attributes and standards markings or removing and replacing components to enable the inspection process to be carried out.