Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal | Legal Resources | Martin Dillon

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Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal

Resolving disputes involving motor vehicle sales in New Zealand

This section provides general information about the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal. It is intended to assist readers in understanding how disputes relating to motor vehicle sales are brought, heard, and resolved in that forum.

The Tribunal was established under the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003, and its procedures are set out in Schedule 1 of that Act.

Nature of the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal

The Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal is a specialist forum that deals with disputes arising from the sale of motor vehicles by registered motor vehicle traders.

Proceedings are designed to be more accessible and less formal than ordinary court litigation. In most cases:

Parties represent themselves
Lawyers do not ordinarily appear
The focus is on practical resolution of the dispute

Despite its informality, the Tribunal makes binding decisions, which may be enforced through the courts if necessary.

Timeframes

Timeframes in any court or tribunal depend on a range of factors, including workload, complexity, and location. It is therefore not possible to give firm estimates.

As a very general guide only, many Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal matters are resolved within a few months of an application being filed. Some cases may be resolved more quickly, while others may take longer.

Important note on currency

Many of the articles in this section were originally published in 2015 as part of the CourtKeys public legal education project. While the material remains useful for understanding general structure and process, some information may now be out of date. Updated and revised material is included in Civil Litigation for Non-Lawyers.

Topics covered

The articles in this section address key aspects of Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal proceedings, including:

Select a topic to view further information about that aspect of the Tribunal process.

Disclaimer

All legal information published on this website is general information about New Zealand law only. It is not legal advice or a substitute for legal advice. It does not address specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity. It may not reflect current law, practice or legal requirements. No warranty, guarantee or undertaking is made about the accuracy or completeness of the information, or about results that may be obtained from the information. No responsibility or liability is assumed or accepted for any actions taken or not taken based on use of the information, or for any direct or indirect losses or damage of any kind arising from use of the information. Specific legal advice should be obtained from a lawyer about any circumstances.