AAAA welcomes New Zealand Labour's pledge to adopt automotive right-to-repair rules

Labour's right-to-repair pledge and the AAAA's response

New Zealand's Labour Party has put automotive right to repair on the national agenda ahead of the country's election, promising rules that would require vehicle manufacturers to give independent repairers fair access to the manuals, software, diagnostic information and tools needed to service modern vehicles. The announcement was made by Labour commerce and consumer affairs spokesperson Arena Williams at Midas Manukau on the campaign trail, according to RNZ reporting. ¹³

The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has welcomed the pledge, calling it a significant step forward for choice of repairer in New Zealand. AutoTalk Australia reports the association as saying modern vehicles are increasingly computers on wheels and that independent repairers need fair access to the information and tools required to service them, framing the benefit to motorists as being able to take your car to the repairer you know and trust. ¹

The AAAA says it has been pleased to support its New Zealand industry colleagues advocating for the reform and looks forward to continuing that work, congratulating Labour on recognising the importance of choice of repairer. AutoTalk Australia notes the association has backed NZ representatives pushing for changes modelled on Australia's motor vehicle information-sharing scheme. ¹

What Labour is promising and the stated case for change

Labour says the right-to-repair commitment is designed to ensure independent mechanics can access the manuals, software and tools needed to fix modern cars. Williams told RNZ that workshops were having to turn away work because they could not access manufacturer information, arguing that your car belongs to you and you should be able to choose who fixes it. ³

Williams gave concrete examples of the problem, saying Teslas, Jeeps and other vehicles manufactured after 2021 often carry lockout software that prevents local mechanics from completing repairs. She told RNZ that a workshop might fix an entire problem with fuelling or a cam belt but cannot turn off the dash warning light, forcing the customer to a manufacturer-approved repairer at a cost of more than $150 for that service alone. ³

The pledge forms part of a broader motoring package announced by Labour, which AutoTalk Australia reports also includes a three-year fuel tax freeze, weekly Commerce Commission fuel price reporting and measures intended to increase competition among fuel retailers. RNZ adds further consumer measures such as banning secret finance commissions at car yards and no-penalty cancellations within 14 days. ¹³

The commitment remains conditional. AutoTalk Australia notes the changes would depend on Labour winning government and passing the necessary legislation, and no implementation detail such as a commencement date has been announced. ¹

The Australian model Labour is pointing to

Australia introduced its mandatory Motor Vehicle Information Scheme in 2022, requiring manufacturers to make service and repair information available to independent workshops on fair commercial terms, as AutoTalk Australia notes in its report on the NZ pledge. Assistant minister for competition, charities and treasury Dr Andrew Leigh MP set out the scheme's formal basis in his address to the Australian Repair Summit in Canberra, saying the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme commenced in July 2022 as the nation's first legislated right-to-repair framework, requiring manufacturers to share diagnostic and repair information with independent mechanics on fair and reasonable commercial terms. ¹²

Williams, speaking on RNZ, cited early findings from the Australian scheme, saying repairs at independent mechanics were on average 25 per cent cheaper than at dealerships and that a review by Australia's Treasury found $AU2.5 billion was being saved for motorists under the scheme. She argued the impact in New Zealand could be even greater because the country's fleet of second-hand imports is even more complicated. These are campaign-trail claims from a politician summarising the Australian experience rather than independently verified figures, and the Treasury review Leigh described was still underway, with precise benefits, in his words, still being quantified. ³²

Documented results of Australia's scheme

The strongest documented evidence on the Australian scheme's performance comes from the Australian government side. In his Repair Summit address, Leigh said the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association reports 65 per cent of independent repairers say productivity has improved since the scheme began, and that vehicles being turned away by workshops have fallen by around 40 per cent, citing Treasury's 2025 review work. He also said Treasury analysis of business microdata suggests turnover in the automotive repair sector rose by 6.7 per cent, around $1.8 billion per year, following the scheme's introduction. ²

Australasian Paint & Panel's report on the Australian Repair Summit 2025 records the same figures, noting that since the MVIS commenced in July 2022, 65 per cent of independent repairers have reported productivity improvements, vehicle turn-aways are down 40 per cent, and Treasury analysis shows sector turnover up approximately 6.7 per cent, equating to $1.8 billion in annual productivity growth. The AAAA's Stuart Charity told the Summit that MVIS has shown how smart, sector-specific reform can lift productivity and competition. ⁴

Leigh's speech placed Australia's law in a global context, noting right-to-repair reform is embedded in mainstream productivity policy across the European Union, the United States and Canada, including Colorado's legislation covering electronic wheelchairs and agricultural equipment and Canadian copyright amendments allowing digital locks to be bypassed for legitimate repairs. He described right to repair as a productivity reform rather than a niche consumer issue. ²

The New Zealand campaign behind the pledge

Labour's announcement followed a sustained industry campaign across the Tasman. Autofile reports that the New Zealand Choice of Repairer Industry Leaders Group, whose board represents the country's four largest independent automotive repair networks, two largest parts and equipment suppliers, the largest vehicle glass repair consortium and the New Zealand Automobile Association, had been pushing for a choice-of-repairer law for several years. Chairman Peter Morton said in July 2026 that such a law would require manufacturers to provide independent repairers with the same information given to authorised dealer networks, including diagnostic information, repair specifications, technical service bulletins, software updates and digital service records, on fair and reasonable commercial terms. ⁵

Autofile also reported survey evidence from the group showing 48 per cent of New Zealand independent repairers have had to turn away vehicles because they could not access the information, tools or data needed to complete work, with many saying the situation is getting worse. Morton argued that when independent repairers are locked out, motorists lose choice and pay more, and said the next step was for Parliament to act. ⁵

The legislative path has been difficult to date. Autofile reported in June 2026 that debate continues after proposed right-to-repair legislation was dismissed by the New Zealand Parliament in late October 2025, after Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, the MP leading the push, arrived late for the second reading of her member's bill. Labour's election pledge now represents the most concrete prospect of the reform advancing, though it remains subject to the election outcome and the passage of legislation. ⁶

Manufacturer participation shows how the Australian scheme operates

The way Australian manufacturers engage with the scheme offers context for what New Zealand may adopt. Aftermarket magazine reports that XPENG Motors Australia and New Zealand has reaffirmed its commitment to Australia's right-to-repair framework, working with the Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA) to support the MVIS, with technical onboarding expected to be completed in the coming months. Once finalised, authorised and independent repair networks will be able to access eligible XPENG service and repair information in accordance with MVIS requirements. ⁷⁶

XPENG ANZ national service development manager Brenton Dalton said supporting the right to repair is the right thing to do and that customers should have the freedom to choose where they service their vehicle, while the company aims to earn preference through the quality, transparency and convenience of its authorised service experience. AASRA executive officer Mike Rainbow welcomed the commitment, telling Aftermarket it is particularly valuable as the Australian market sees growing numbers of new vehicle brands, including electric vehicles with advanced technologies, and encouraging other non-participating brands to engage with the scheme. ⁷

For New Zealand, the Australian experience suggests the shape of any adopted scheme: a legislated information-sharing obligation administered with industry bodies such as AASRA's counterpart, applied to both established and new market entrants. Whether Labour wins office and how any New Zealand legislation would be designed remain open questions, with no draft bill or implementation timetable yet announced. ²⁷

That analysis is DriveAgent's own reading of the confirmed positions: the verified facts are Labour's pledge as announced, the AAAA's endorsement, the Australian scheme's commencement in July 2022 and the productivity and turnover findings Leigh and Treasury's 2025 review work have put on record. ²³