Exploding van prices in New Zealand

Here we go, the 2024-2025 New Zealand Working Holiday season has officially started !

With the arrival of summer, the country is slowly coming out of its hibernation and starting to come alive. And summer means the arrival of WHV-makers. Every year, many of you travel down under to discover the stunning country that is New Zealand.

New Zealand is the perfect place to experience vanlife and many of you are choosing this lifestyle for your WHV. Even Kiwis have this nomadic tendency and take to New Zealand’s pretty roads for a weekend or more. Unfortunately, over the last few years, regulations concerning freedom camping have become stricter, until a complete change in 2023.

A quick reminder of the change in New Zealand’s self-contained regulations

As a reminder, since December 2023, you must have fixed toilets in order to obtain the new green self-contained certification, unlike the old blue one, which stipulated that the mere presence of a portable toilet was sufficient.

Following this announcement, the government introduced a transitional period during which blue certifications were still valid but could no longer be obtained. This transition period allowed everyone to adapt to the new regulations. From 7 June 2025, all blue certifications will expire and only green certifications will be accepted.

Staggering impact on van prices

As you will have gathered, the 2024-2025 season marks the end of this transition period. Pvtists arriving in New Zealand at this time are faced with a different van market to previous years and, unfortunately, with sky-high prices.

On the one hand, there are still vans (and cars) with the old blue certification. These vehicles will no longer be self-contained from June 2025 unless you decide to install fixed toilets. Despite this, the price of these vehicles appears to be similar to that of previous years:

• between $NZ 7 000 and 9 000 for a car,
• between $NZ 9 000 and 15 000 $NZ for a van.

D’autre part, il y a de plus en plus de vans avec la certification verte et donc avec des prix très élevés.

• entre 9 000 et 12 000 $NZ pour une voiture (gros gabarit)
• entre 15 000 et 25 000 $NZ pour un van !

My advice

Is it worth getting a blue self-contained vehicle?

Getting a blue self-contained van or car could be worth it IF :

• there is the possibility of installing fixed toilets in the future,
• you’re resourceful and can fit the van with a toilet.

It is therefore important to inspect the van carefully to see if it is possible to modify its layout. This will be all the more difficult for small vehicles such as converted cars, so think carefully!

Are vehicles with green certification in better condition?

The green certification ne garantit pas la qualité mécanique of the vehicle! It simply means that you have everything you need to live in your vehicle for at least 3 days. Some vans are very old and have not always been maintained. It is therefore important to have a pre-purchase inspection carried out by an AA or VTNZ approved garage. This inspection costs around NZ$200 and is non-refundable.

Is it better to convert your own vehicle?

Depending on your level of resourcefulness, this may well be the case! Some empty cars and vans cost half or even a third of the price of a self-contained vehicle. You can also easily find second-hand equipment and hire tools in shops like Bunnings. So if you’re tempted by the idea, it’s not impossible!

Can you live vanlife with a vehicle that isn’t self-contained?

Yes! But it requires a bit more flexibility. The advantage of self-contained certification is that there are plenty of places where you can legally stay overnight. Travelling in a vehicle that is not self-contained will mean driving extra kilometres or sometimes booking nights in youth hostels or camping sites. However, there is also a DOC campsite pass which allows you to spend the night in one of the many Department of Conservation car parks. The pass costs NZ$195 per person for one year and pays for itself very quickly. So it could be an option for people who can’t afford to buy a van with the new certification.