New self-containment rules and regulations

UPDATE: August 1, 2024
The Government has amended the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers (Self-Contained Vehicles) Regulations 2023 so that campers with fixed cassette-type toilets in their vehicles are not required to install ventilation kits if they want a green warrant card for freedom camping purposes. Fixed toilets must be installed in accordance with their design and specifications. Therefore if, for example, your manufactured waterless/composting toilet comes with a ventilation kit, that still must be installed. 

The Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation Act came into force on June 7, 2023. MBIE published the new Self-containment Regulations at the end of August 2023. As of December 7, 2023, you can, if you choose to, certify your vehicle under these regulations through an approved Certification Authority. You will need to pay the inspection fee on top of the government’s $120 levy.

Vehicles certified with an NZS 5465 blue warrant card before June 7, 2024, can continue to rely on these cards for freedom camping purposes up until June 7, 2025. However, vehicles certified from June 7, 2024, must be inspected under the government’s new system, and display a green warrant card if they want to be used for freedom camping purposes.

The NZMCA’s interim approach
The NZMCA plans on operating as a Certification Authority from October 2024, following the Government’s decision to amend the self-containment regulations which unnecessarily affected 90% of NZMCA members’ vehicles with fixed cassette-type toilet wastewater tanks.

About 10% of NZMCA members own vehicles with portable toilets that cannot be certified under the new regulations, and we expect several members with fixed onboard toilets do not freedom camp and therefore have no desire to purchase the green warrant card. For these members, we have developed a new parallel certification system (yellow warrant cards) to accommodate them in the club – please read these 2-pages from Motor Caravanner magazine #365 explaining how this will work  (click here).

Further information

See here for the latest information from MBIE on the raft of changes to our freedom camping systems.

See here for the latest self-containment guidance documentation published by the new Regulator, PGDB.

The new legislation addresses vehicle-based camping only. It does not regulate the use of tents for camping. The Act does not affect freedom camping on public conservation land, or the decisions made by the Department of Conservation. DOC can, if deemed necessary, restrict freedom camping in specific areas to certified vehicles with a fixed toilet.