Restrictions on older imported vehicles proposed

The government is proposing restricting the age of second hand vehicles imported into the country to help cut vehicle emissions.

Ministers have also directed the Ministry of Transport to work with the motor industry on a regulated sales-weighted fuel economy standard for new and second-hand vehicles.

Associate Transport Minister Judith Tizard and Climate Change Minister David Parker said the measures would also involve options for improving the average fuel economy of vehicles entering the country.

"New Zealand imports all its vehicles so we have the opportunity to select the best - not the mediocre," Ms Tizard said.

"New Zealanders can choose vehicles with almost zero harmful exhaust emissions, we can choose the fuel efficiency of our cars and we can choose the type of fuel they run on. We're doing our health and our clean green environment a disservice if we don't."

Mr Parker said making progress in this area was important for the health of communities and for meeting climate change objectives.

"The Energy Outlook to 2030 shows that if we do not change our policy settings, transport greenhouse gas emissions increase by 45 per cent over the next 25 years. We cannot - and will not - let that happen," he said.

But the Motor Industry Association (MIA) said now was the time for decisive action "rather than endless review and discussion"

"We have a particularly dirty and inefficient vehicle fleet by OECD standards, and the longer we delay the legislative measures essential to bringing about an improvement, the further behind we will fall," MIA chief executive Perry Kerr said.

There was more than enough evidence on the table to enable decisions to be made right now, he said.

Mr Kerr said the industry believed a 15 per cent fuel efficiency improvement target over ten years could apply to the new vehicle market, with 2005 as the base year.

The MIA was not convinced that such targets could realistically be applied to imported used vehicles.

It suggested a strict rolling seven year age limit be applied to all used imported vehicles would be the most effective measure.

Mr Kerr said missing from the package were incentives to increase the rate older vehicles were scrapped.

The Imported Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (IMDVA) said it supported measures to increase the rate older cars were scrapped and consumers having more information on fuel consumption.

But questioned whether a rolling age ban on used imports, in isolation, was the solution as it was more likely to increase the average age of the vehicles in the fleet.

"Many consumers would not be able to afford to upgrade to newer vehicles, and they would be forced to hold on to their old cars for longer. The average age would increase, not reduce," IMDVA chief executive David Vinsen said.

The IMVDA said it supported a strategy which might include standards-based restrictions, supported by some sort of rolling age ban, plus a policy for accelerating the scrapping of old vehicles.

"We don't want a solution that fixes one problem while creating new problems or unwanted consequences, such as reducing consumer choice, placing low income families under further financial pressure, or increasing the cost of living and inflation."

- NZPA