Updates to the motorcycle road code

While The official New Zealand road code for motorcyclists is carefully checked to ensure it is accurate at the time of publication, changes to legislation may mean that some information becomes out of date.

If any changes have been made since the last printed version, they'll be summarised on this page. 

The latest version of The Official New Zealand road code for motorcyclists is 2019/2020.

For updates to our other road codes, see the relevant pages:

• Road code updates for The official New Zealand road code
• Road code updates for The official New Zealand road code for heavy vehicles

Motorcycle road code update - September 2020

Pg 235

Removed the following text:

Carrying a load on your motorcycle

• Your load must not extend more than 1 metre in front of the front wheel or more than 1 metre behind the rear wheel.
• Your load must not extend more than 55 centimetres on either side from the centre of the motorcycle.
• Your load must not be loose and must not touch the ground.

See pages 95-97 for more information about carrying loads on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle road code update - November 2020

Pg 66

Removed this text:

'When can I apply to sit the full licence practical test?

You will need to be at least 18 years of age and have held your restricted driver licence for at least:

• 18 months if you're under 25 years old
• six months if you're 25 or older.'

And replaced it with this text:

'When can I sit the full licence practical test?

You must be at least 18 years of age and have held your restricted licence for at least 18 months.'