Since deregulation in the late 1980s, used vehicle imports have done exactly what we asked of them: lift the quality of what Kiwis drive, widen choice, keep transport affordable, and build a whole ecosystem of good jobs around compliance, finance, insurance, logistics and repairs. That contribution is now under threat from a wave of ever-tighter rules that shrink the pool of viable vehicles. It’s time to say plainly why this industry remains essential.

The quality step-change most of us lived through

When borders opened, used imports replaced a tired domestic mix with newer, safer, better-equipped cars at prices families could reach. Even mainstream media histories acknowledge the effect: used imports “drove the old Morris Minors and Hillman Hunters off the road”, accelerating the turnover of clapped-out vehicles in the 1990s. (See North & South mag article from 2022).

That upgrade path never stopped. Today’s compliance is tougher again: every used import is stripped and checked against structural and safety rules before it ever gets plates — often to stricter thresholds than in-service checks. (Anyone in the trade knows how unforgiving border rust calls can be.)

Crucially, the cars last. Ministry-based monitoring shows used light passenger imports now exit the fleet around 19 years on average and trending up, while NZ-new light passenger vehicles have averaged in the mid-to-high teens at exit. In short: used imports survive at least as long as NZ-new — the “imports are lower quality” myth just doesn’t stack up.

Safer roads, newer tech, lower risk

New Zealand’s road toll has fallen dramatically from late-20th-century highs. We’re still not where we should be, but the long-run trend is down, helped by safer vehicles and features that arrived in bulk via the used-import pipeline (airbags, ABS, ESC, AEB, better crash structures). The Ministry’s historical series shows the modern toll roughly half the late-1980s peaks, and 2024 provisionally closed below 300 deaths — the lowest in a decade.

Affordable mobility for everyday families

A dependable car is not a luxury in New Zealand; it’s how most of us get to work, reach school and sport, and connect small towns to services. Used imports have kept that promise through two levers: supply and price. Third-party estimates peg the used-car market at ~NZ$500m in 2025, reflecting persistent demand and the sector’s role in getting value onto forecourts. And the supply chain is stable: Japan provides ~95–97% of used passenger imports — a proven, right-hand-drive source with deep stock and strong safety/emissions baselines.

Lower carbon, right now

Fleet-level data tells a simple story: the cohort of used vehicles in the NZ fleet is consistently and significantly cleaner (lower average CO₂ per km) than the whole-of-fleet average., with the used-import cohort tracking around the 130–140 g/km band in recent years while the whole fleet sits much higher in the mid- to high-170s. Translation: bringing in later-model, efficient Japanese cars — especially hybrids — shifts emissions down immediately, not in theory.

A web of Kiwi jobs and businesses

Behind every used import is a chain of New Zealand firms: shipping agents and ports, quarantine and biosecurity, inspection and compliance workshops, panel and paint, tyre shops, parts suppliers and wreckers, financiers, insurers, retailers, and the digital platforms that list and move vehicles — steady work spread across the country.

What tightening rules are doing — and a better way forward

No one’s arguing against good standards. But when rules are ratcheted faster than supply can adjust, choice collapses and prices climb. We see it whenever an arbitrary test cycle or an over-tight target knocks out whole swathes of otherwise safe, clean, family-sized cars. The result is fewer options for average households and less competition on forecourts — exactly the opposite of what deregulation delivered.

Bottom line

Used imports have been a public good since the 1980s: safer, better cars at prices Kiwi families can afford; a lower-emissions step down for the fleet; and a national network of skilled jobs. Japan will remain our prime source for years yet, and the data shows the used cohort pulls CO₂ down today. If we let one-size-fits-nobody regulation strangle that, we will pay for it in higher prices, older cars kept longer, and fewer choices where they matter most — on the driveway.

Let’s keep the bar high and keep the door open. The industry that helped modernise our fleet can help decarbonise it — if we let it.