February has been a packed month for VIA, with high-level meetings covering everything from regulatory discussions and Clean Car Standard (CCS) challenges to financial planning and industry collaboration. If you’ve ever wondered how VIA spends its time, here’s a snapshot of our industry advocacy work over the past month.

Regulatory Engagement: NZTA’s Leadership and the Future of Vehicle Imports

In our first formal meeting with NZTA’s new CEO, Brett Gliddon, and Director of Land Transport, Brent Alderton, we outlined the challenges the industry faces, including historically low vehicle import volumes in 2024 and the unjustifiable weight adjustment in the CCS algorithm. We also pushed for better transparency in regulatory changes, particularly around the repair certification process and early engagement with stakeholders. Encouragingly, NZTA has signalled a willingness to continue engaging with industry leaders, and we’ll be maintaining regular meetings throughout the year.

Welcoming the new Minister of Transport Chris Bishop

Transport Industry leaders have reached out to Minister Bishop to raise key issues such as fleet road user charges, congestion charging, and vehicle regulatory system reform. The Minister has confirmed that the three-year Government Policy Statement will remain unchanged, with an emphasis on getting the current priorities delivered.

One major industry frustration we have raised is the lack of visibility on regulatory work programmes. We reiterated the need for greater transparency and trust in consultation processes to ensure industry can prepare for upcoming changes.

Border Security: Strengthening VIA’s Relationship with MPI

We met with MPI’s Terrestrial and Aquatic Standards team to discuss pre-border biosecurity measures, particularly around Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) season.

Key takeaways:

• BMSB risk remains low, and MPI does not see a need for extending the season at this point.
• MPI communication praised: Industry members agree that MPI’s approach is far more effective than its Australian counterpart. 
• Additionally, a Vehicle, Machinery, and Parts (VMP) standard review is scheduled for mid-2025, which will be an opportunity for the industry to provide input on biosecurity measures.

Clean Car Standard: Addressing Market Distortions

The CCS remains a major topic of concern. VIA is hearing from industry players that the CCS is simply a variable tax, an extra levy, on vehicle imports and the need to have $1,000 or more as a placeholder cost for CCS compliance is impacting business decisions. We continue to challenge the weight adjustment mechanism. I’m currently preparing a paper to illustrate its negative consequences, which we’ll be presenting to regulators in the coming months.

Automotive Training: Ensuring Industry Control

The vocational training sector remains a focus as we push for more industry control over training providers and curriculum development. With changes in government policy affecting apprenticeships and vocational qualifications, it’s critical that industry-driven training pathways are preserved.

What Would You List as Your Top Five?

Elon Musk recently asked all US federal workers to email him five things they did last week—a simple but effective way to track productivity and progress. It got me thinking: What would our industry’s top five look like?

If you had to list the five most important things you did last week, what would they be? More importantly, what’s on your list that VIA should be advocating for?

At VIA, we’re constantly working behind the scenes to remove roadblocks, influence policy, and ensure that importers have a strong voice in regulatory discussions. If there’s something we need to add to our agenda, let us know.

Greig Epps
Chief Executive | VIA