Some key milestones in New Zealand’s motoring history.
| Date | Milestones |
|---|---|
| 1896 | Cecil Woods of Timaru creates the first New Zealand-built motor vehicle. |
| 1898 | The first imported motor cars arrive in New Zealand. Member of Parliament, William MacLean, imports two Benz vehicles from France, dubbed ‘Lightening and ‘Petrolette’. |
| 1900 | New Zealand’s first electric tram arrives. |
| 1905 | Two men complete the first car journey from Wellington to Auckland – taking seven days! |
| 1908 | A farmers’ conference calls for vehicles of speeding motorist to be ‘locked out’ of 3rd and 4th gears to force them to slow down. |
| 1918 | The Christchurch City Council imported their first Walker Electric Truck. |
| 1931 | With one car to every 7.1 persons, Wellington East is the most motorised place; with 12 persons per car, Wellington West and Auckland South are the least motorised. |
| 1934 | First national traffic census is undertaken. |
| 1937 | A Traffic Code is distributed to every home, motor association, all safety councils and others. |
| 1940 | Drivers 70 years-old and over must be re-tested to ensure they are still fit to drive. |
| 1950 | The first section of motorway opens in December. It runs for 3 miles between Takapu Road and Johnsonville and is part of the main approach to Wellington City. |
| 1950 | The first compulsory STOP signs appear. |
| 1955 | A new law requires motorists to slow down to 10mph (now 20km/h) when passing a school bus that is picking up or setting down children. |
| 1956 | Motorcyclists travelling at over 30mph (50km/h) now have to wear a 'crash (later safety) helmet'. Moped riders are excluded. |
| 1957 | The first give way signs are erected at crash-prone intersections. |
| 1959 | Auckland Harbour Bridge opens on 30 May. |
| 1962 | The open road speed limit increases from 50mph (80km/h) to 55mph (88km/h). |
| 1969 | The open road speed increases to 60mph (96km/h) for ‘suitable sections’ of road. |
| 1991 | The emergency mobile phone service (555) is introduced. |
| 1995 | Christchurch city reintroduces trams. |
| 1996 | New Zealand’s annual road toll is 515, the lowest number of fatalities in 32 years. Excessive speed was a cited cause in the fatalities of 170 New Zealanders. |
| 1997 | Hidden speed cameras are trialled in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Taupo. |
| 1997 | Some 60 years after the first Road code was broadly distributed, the Minister of Transport, Jenny Shipley, launches the first CD-Rom Road code on 25 July. The CD included animated explanations of rules plus an interactive test. |
