Enforces road-user-charges compliance through roadside policing, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team and a developing network of 12 Commercial Vehicle Safety Centres.
New Zealand Police is the principal roadside enforcement body for road-user-charges compliance. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is the RUC collector and also undertakes assessment, investigation and prosecution work. Police checks licences and distance recorders during traffic stops and commercial-vehicle inspections, including through the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST). The CVST monitors trucks, buses, taxis, couriers and other commercial vehicles from four area offices: Auckland, Hamilton, Ohakea and Christchurch. Police's current inspection guidance lists road-user-charges checks under Level 2 inspections; Level 3 adds a visual inspection of the vehicle and load. No current official CVST staff total was located. NZTA and Police are developing a network of 12 new or upgraded Commercial Vehicle Safety Centres on high-volume freight routes. The programme uses weigh-in-motion equipment, number-plate recognition and electronic signage to screen heavy vehicles and direct selected vehicles to Police for checks. Taupō and Bombay are now operational; Mackays Crossing and Napier remain under development. The 2024–27 Road Policing Investment Programme provides Police with $1.335 billion from the National Land Transport Fund. Current law includes a $200 infringement fee for a light RUC vehicle whose distance reading exceeds its licensed maximum by more than 500 kilometres, with graduated fees for heavy vehicles. The Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill proposes removing physical-licence display requirements and modernising RUC administration, but had not completed its parliamentary stages by 30 July 2026.
Specialist Police team monitoring trucks, buses, taxis, couriers and other commercial vehicles. It includes constabulary staff, authorised Vehicle Safety Officers and dangerous-goods inspectors, with four area offices. Police guidance lists RUC among Level 2 inspection checks; higher levels add vehicle, brake, dangerous-goods or exhaust inspections.
A joint NZTA–Police programme creating 12 new or upgraded centres on high-volume freight routes. Weigh-in-motion equipment, number-plate recognition and electronic signs screen passing heavy vehicles and direct selected vehicles to Police for weight, RUC, fitness, logbook and impairment checks. Taupō and Bombay are operational; Mackays Crossing and Napier remain under development.
Police and CVSC systems use number-plate recognition to compare vehicle details with compliance and vehicles-of-interest information. Current Police ANPR policy links retention to a defined law-enforcement purpose; the profile's blanket statement that all ANPR information is deleted after 48 hours is obsolete.
Police officers can check whether a RUC vehicle has a valid licence and whether its distance recorder remains within the licensed range. Physical display or carriage requirements remain in force while the Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill is before Parliament.
Police may issue RUC infringement notices. Current regulations set a $200 fee for a light RUC vehicle operated more than 500 kilometres beyond its licensed maximum, while heavy-vehicle fees vary with the overrun distance.
The Police Force Act 1886 established New Zealand's first national civil police force.
Mileage tax was introduced for diesel, steam and electric vehicles, preceding the modern RUC system.
The Road User Charges Act 1977 was enacted. RUC replaced heavy traffic fees and mileage tax between 1978 and 1979; roadside enforcement was then undertaken by the Ministry of Transport's Traffic Safety Service.
The Traffic Safety Service merged into New Zealand Police on 1 July, transferring traffic enforcement responsibilities and commercial-vehicle enforcement staff to Police.
The Road User Charges Act 2012 came into force on 1 August, restructuring licences, enforcement provisions, offences and electronic-system arrangements.
Police proposed disestablishing 26 Vehicle Safety Officer positions, drawing opposition from transport industry groups and the Police Association.
The national Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre programme began developing new and upgraded sites using weigh-in-motion, number-plate recognition and electronic screening technology.
Light electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids became subject to RUC from 1 April. Richard Chambers became Commissioner of Police on 25 November.
The Government announced the next stage of fleetwide RUC reform and introduced the Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill in November. The bill proposes removing physical RUC-label requirements and enabling a broader provider and payment framework, but does not set the petrol-fleet transition date.
The Taupō Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre opened on 26 March. The Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill passed its second reading on 30 June but had not completed the remaining parliamentary stages by 30 July.
Commissioner of Police
Became Commissioner on 25 November 2024. Joined Police in 1996 and previously held senior district, investigation and international roles, including Director of Organised and Emerging Crime at INTERPOL.
Deputy Commissioner: Central and Southern Districts
Became statutory Deputy Commissioner on 18 December 2025. His responsibilities include Road Policing and District Support, alongside the Central and Southern districts and several national portfolios.
Deputy Commissioner: Northern Districts
Appointed Deputy Commissioner on 27 January 2026 after relieving in the role from 31 March 2025. Her responsibilities include the Northern districts, Iwi and Communities, Partnerships, Auckland and National Deployment.
New Zealand Police provides roadside RUC enforcement, while NZTA is the RUC collector and carries out administrative compliance, assessments, investigations and prosecutions. Police officers inspect licences and distance recorders during traffic stops and commercial-vehicle work. The CVST and CVSC programme provide targeted heavy-vehicle enforcement, with screening systems identifying vehicles for inspection. The 2024–27 Road Policing Investment Programme provides $1.335 billion and targets 50,000 Commercial Vehicle Inspection Reports a year. The proposed removal of physical RUC labels and broader digital-provider framework remain before Parliament.
In November 2025, the Independent Police Conduct Authority found significant failings in the way senior Police responded to serious complaints made against then-Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming during 2023 and early 2024. It found serious misconduct by several very senior officers and other senior employees, including failures to act, delayed referral and attempts to influence the scope and timing of the investigation. Commissioner Richard Chambers described the former leaders' conduct as inexcusable and apologised to the complainant. The IPCA report did not determine the truth of the underlying allegations against McSkimming.
NZTA prosecuted courier company owner Keshwar Prasad in Auckland District Court on three charges of wilfully tampering with vehicle odometers to avoid paying $15,000 of Road User Charges. He was fined $6,500 and ordered to pay $15,000 in unpaid RUC.
When EVs lost their RUC exemption on 1 April 2024, nearly 12,000 EV owners failed to purchase their first licence by the May 31 deadline, facing $200 fines plus 10% penalties on unpaid charges - the largest single wave of RUC non-compliance in the system's history.
Police proposed disestablishing 26 Vehicle Safety Officer positions from the CVIU as part of budget reallocation. The Road Transport Forum, NZ Trucking Association, and Police Association strongly opposed the move, arguing it would undermine commercial vehicle safety. Police Association president Chris Cahill said an extra $35 million was needed to secure the VSO jobs.
A Police CVST operation on SH1 between Northport and Auckland inspected 534 heavy vehicles over three days and found 96 (18%) failed their inspection, with 11 trucks deemed so dangerous they were immediately removed from the road. The operation was triggered by approximately 800 additional truck movements carrying shipping containers diverted from congested Auckland ports.
The Road Transport Forum and major operators publicly criticised NZ Police and NZTA for years of inadequate enforcement against non-compliant trucking companies, particularly in Auckland. Waka Kotahi subsequently investigated 18 companies caught with multiple faults, acknowledging its regulatory approach had been 'not sufficiently robust.'
