Enforcement Authorities

The Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation Act 2023 amended the Freedom Camping Act 2011 (the FCA) and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006 to establish a new, nationally regulated system for certifying and registering self-contained vehicles (SCVs) used for freedom camping, and to strengthen the freedom camping regulatory and enforcement settings.

Under the system, to be certified as self-contained, vehicles must have a toilet that is permanently fixed to and usable within the vehicle and meet other requirements in relation to the vehicle's water supply system, wastewater system, ventilation system, sink, and rubbish storage. The legislation also introduced a default position that vehicle-based freedom camping on public land is restricted to certified SCVs, unless local rules allow otherwise.

The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board is the regulator of the SCV system and is responsible for appointing certification authorities (the individuals or organisations offering self-containment inspection and certification services), providing guidance, investigating complaints and compliance issues in relation to certification authorities, and maintaining a national register of SCV’s.

Local authorities (regional councils and territorial authorities), the Department of Conservation, and Land Information New Zealand (together, Enforcement Authorities) are responsible for determining where freedom camping is restricted or prohibited on the land they manage, and for enforcing compliance under the FCA and any local freedom camping rules.

Enforcement officers are appointed under the FCA to help keep public places safe, clean, and accessible. They encourage responsible camping and can take enforcement action when a person commits an offence under the FCA or under any local freedom camping rules.

Use of the national SCV Register to support enforcement activities

The national SCV Register was introduced as part of the new self-containment certification system that began on 7 December 2023. The key purpose of the SCV Register is to provide a single, national “source of truth” showing whether a vehicle is certified as self-contained under the current legal requirements. It provides enforcement officers with a reliable way to confirm a vehicle’s certification status in the field, rather than relying on paperwork that can be lost, copied, or out of date.

Using the SCV Register’s publicly available functions, an enforcement officer can confirm the following information about a specific vehicle:

• whether the vehicle holds a current certificate of self-containment;
• whether the vehicle has previously held a certificate that has subsequently expired or been revoked; and
•  the expiry date of the vehicle’s current, expired, or revoked certificate of self-containment.

Using the SCV Register’s ‘enforcement officer’ functions, an enforcement officer can confirm the following information about a specific vehicle (in addition to the publicly available information):

•  the information contained in a vehicle’s certificate of self-containment;
•  vehicle inspection details; and
• any relevant enforcement information recorded against a vehicle by enforcement officers.

An enforcement officer can also enter information into the Register about a vehicle relating to freedom camping offences.

Actively using the SCV Register to log events can help enforcement officers to carry out their role and inform their enforcement decisions. For example, if an enforcement officer records in the Register that they have issued a warning in relation to a particular vehicle, another enforcement officer will be able to view this event and may choose to issue an infringement notice if the same vehicle is being used in a similar way in another location.

Get access to the SCV Register’s Enforcement Officer functions

To give Enforcement Officers access to the Register, Enforcement Authorities will need to complete an application form. You’ll need to tell us the name and contact details for both the person responsible for the application and the person responsible for setting up and administering Enforcement Officers or other Enforcement Authority users in the Register. 

Once your application is processed, we will share further information about how to set up your appointed Enforcement Officers in the Register and how to use the Register.

You can read more about the Register, and how to apply, by reading the Enforcement Authorities Guidance. You can then download and complete the Enforcement Authority application form , and send it to applications@nzscv.co.nz.

Guidance documents and forms for enforcement authorities.

Enforcement Authorities Guidance Document V1.2 Enforcement Authorities Application Form V1.0