The Government has approved regulations allowing changes to fees and charges for regulatory services, including driver licensing.

Last year, Waka Kotahi consulted on proposed changes to regulatory funding, fees, and charges. It followed the first comprehensive review of the costs of providing regulatory products and services since the agency was established in 2008.

Neil Cook, Director of Land Transport, said the review established Waka Kotahi doesn’t bring in enough revenue to cover the costs of providing such services.

“These are things like vehicle licensing (rego) and regulation of vehicle inspections and certification. The review also showed that some people and companies are paying more for services than they should, some less, and others are not paying at all. The approved changes will fix those issues.”

From October 1, the cost of each stage of a driver’s licence changes to a flat rate, with fees to re-sit a licence test removed. There are changes to administration fees for rego and Road User Charges and to the prices vehicle certifiers pay for their forms and labels.

Many increases are relatively small. For example, the administration cost to renew rego online or through an agent like AA increases by around $4.50. The Waka Kotahi portion of a WOF charge increases by around $2.

Industry cost increases are likely to be passed on to consumers over time.

You can find  Ddetails of the changes on the Waka Kotahi website.