Changing who pays the Clean Car Standard administration costs

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) sought feedback from importers, consumers, and industry groups about how users will pay a fee for administering the Clean Car Standard.

The Government currently funds the administration costs for the Clean Car Standard. In April 2024 Cabinet decided users should fund the scheme. A user-pays model is expected to be introduced in mid-2025.

The Clean Car Standard was first implemented on 1 January 2023 and it encourages importers to bring low and zero-emission vehicles to New Zealand by setting progressively lower CO₂ targets. Under the Clean Car Standard, importers pay charges for vehicles with high CO₂ emissions and receive credits for vehicles with low CO₂ emissions.

Read more about the Clean Car Standard(external link)

What we sought feedback on

The three considerations we sought feedback on were:

• Basis of payment - charging per vehicle or per importer.
• Point of payment - where in the import process NZTA should collect the payment, and who pays (importers or consumers).
• Variability of payment – if the fee should vary depending on the type of vehicle or account.

All feedback will be considered before a decision is made in early 2025.

Supporting information

View CCS consultation document [PDF, 552 KB]

If you have a question about consultation, please send it to:

CCSconsultation@nzta.govt.nz