Hon Phil Twyford
Minister of Transport
MP for Te Atatū

PĀNUI PĀPĀHO
MEDIA STATEMENT

All driver licences, WoFs, CoFs, and some vehicle certifications, that expired on or after 1 January 2020 will be valid for up to six months from 10 April 2020, Transport Minister Phil Twyford has announced.

“People shouldn’t have to worry about getting fined for having an expired document if driving to use essential services or as an essential worker during the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown,” Phil Twyford said.

“That’s why we have provided an extension to give certainty to the public that they won’t be issued infringement notices for using their vehicles appropriately. It’ll still be up to drivers to keep their vehicles safe and I urge owners to follow the NZ Transport Agency’s advice and regularly self-check their vehicle.

“We’re asking drivers before they set off, to give it a TWIRL – check your Tyres, Windscreen, wipers, mirrors, and Indicators, look for Rust, and test your Lights.

“We are allowing essential repairs, like sorting out punctured tyres or damaged windscreens. If anything looks out of order, please go get it fixed as soon as you can.

“Drivers will still need to be medically fit to drive, comply with relevant restrictions and conditions on their licence and obey all road rules. Any licence suspensions and disqualifications will also continue to apply.

“The extension will give people and businesses plenty of time after the lockdown to renew their documents without putting extra pressure on them when they are already likely to be stressed,” Phil Twyford said.

Other changes include license endorsements that expire on or after 1 March 2020 will be extended and there will be a suspension of the requirement to display a current vehicle licence (rego) if it expired on or after 1 January 2020.


Notes to editor:

• This was done to enable essential travel, not non-essential trips or Easter getaways. Kiwis should still stay home and save lives.
• Previously only essential service workers’ vehicles could access repairs and certification services. Other people are only able to get critical repairs done for the purpose of accessing essential services.
• The planned process around renewals once the restrictions are lifted will be communicated at a later date.
• Vehicle owners are advised to self-inspect their vehicles using the TWIRL procedure (tyres, windscreen, wipers, mirrors, indicators, rust and lights). See the NZ Transport Agency’s advice on checking the safety of your own vehicle: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/check-your-car/
• The NZ Transport Agency indicates that around 600,000 WoFs and CoFs, 800,000 vehicle licences, and 40,000 driver licences and 12,500 endorsements are expected to expire between 24 March 2020 (the start of alert level four) and 17 May 2020 (about a month after the currently planned end of alert level four).

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2004/TWIRLflyer.pdf

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