How to ship a caravan to New Zealand

Checked against official sources on 9 October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm the details for your shipment when you book.

The short version

1. Get a price. Caravans ship roll-on roll-off (RoRo) and are priced on volume: length × width × height, with a 50 m³ minimum per unit. Get an instant quote.
2. Book a sailing. RoRo ships leave Brisbane, Port Kembla and Melbourne for Auckland most weeks, with sailings from Adelaide and Fremantle on some services. Wellington, Lyttelton and Nelson are reached direct or by transhipment in Auckland. See the sailing schedule.
3. Clean it properly. New Zealand's biosecurity rules (MPI) are strict and the van is inspected when it lands. A dirty van is held for cleaning at your cost.
4. Deliver it to the terminal during the receival window. We can arrange cartage from your home, dealer or auction yard.
5. We lodge the Australian export paperwork and the New Zealand customs entry, and pay the MPI and customs fees at the NZ end.
6. Pay any NZ GST and duty, then register it with NZTA Waka Kotahi and get a Warrant of Fitness before you tow it.

What it costs

There are three parts to the shipping price:

• Ocean freight, charged per cubic metre of the van's measured volume, with a 50 m³ minimum.
• Australian local charges per unit (terminal and export costs).
• New Zealand local charges per unit, which with us include customs clearance, the MPI biosecurity fees, EDI and the VIN entry.

Cartage to and from the ports is extra, and quoted when you book. Our online quote prices the published routes instantly.

On arrival, New Zealand Customs charges GST of 15% on the value of the caravan plus the freight and insurance, plus any duty. Whether duty applies depends on the type of unit and where it was made: goods that qualify as Australian origin under the Australia–New Zealand trade agreement (ANZCERTA) can enter duty free with origin evidence, and motorhomes and campervans made elsewhere are dutiable. If you are moving to New Zealand, or a New Zealander coming home, you may qualify for a concession that removes the duty and GST on a vehicle you have owned and used overseas. Work out your numbers with our import duty and GST calculator.

The migrant and returning New Zealander concession has conditions: you need an NZ residence document, to have lived overseas for more than 21 months, to have owned and used the vehicle overseas for at least a year, and to sign an undertaking not to sell it within 2 years. NZ Customs decides eligibility at entry.

Paperwork

• Proof of purchase or ownership, such as the invoice or bill of sale, showing the VIN.
• The make, model, year and VIN, plus the length, width and height so we can price and book it correctly.
• Who receives it in New Zealand: name, address and phone.
• For an Australian-made van, any evidence of where it was made, if you want to claim duty-free entry.

We prepare the shipping line booking, the export receival advice and cargo marking, and the export declaration where one is needed, and lodge the New Zealand customs entry for you.

Cleaning for New Zealand biosecurity

Every used vehicle and caravan arriving in New Zealand is inspected by MPI. It must be free of soil, plant material, seeds, insects, spiders, animal material and standing water, inside and out. The tolerances are tiny: a few dead leaves or a teaspoon of dirt is enough to fail. A van that fails is cleaned or treated at the port before it is released, which costs money and adds days.

Read our NZ biosecurity checklist for caravans before you clean.

Getting it on the road in New Zealand

• Registration and WoF: most caravans are light trailers (under 3,500 kg), which NZTA says are not entry certified, but they must be registered and pass a Warrant of Fitness. Heavier trailers and motorhomes have extra requirements.
• Lights and size: trailers first registered in NZ need paired stop lamps and indicators. Units wider than 2.55 m are over-dimension in New Zealand.
• Electrics: an imported van with 230 V wiring should be checked by an NZ electrical inspector, and an Electrical Warrant of Fitness (WoEF) is needed to connect it to power where the law requires one, such as hire vans.
• Gas: LPG systems in caravans are high-risk gasfitting in NZ. Converting fittings to NZ standard and certifying them is a job for a registered gasfitter.
• Freedom camping: since 7 June 2026 only the new green self-containment warrant is recognised for freedom camping on most public land. Older blue warrants no longer count.

Common questions