Tony Johnson was told “You’re a tiger for punishment” by one of the LVV Certifiers, when discussing LVVTA taking on board the Repair Certification System in 2021. Looking back, it had been 32 years since the LVV certification journey began with Tony knocking on the Ministry of Transport door as an unshaven long-haired hot rodder, and he found the idea of a new challenge rather interesting, and a bit refreshing. The LVV challenge was far from finished, but Tony thought it would be wrong not to try and help, when there was so much that worked well in the LVV space which would work equally as well in the repair space.

“We’re really excited about having the opportunity to use a lot of the very specialised processes we’ve developed and learnt over the past three decades to make another part of the vehicle certification system a better place to be – for the Repair Certifiers, the industry, and the members of the public who use the system.”

Tony Johnson, (then) CEO, LVVTA.

The topic had been touched on casually for 18 months or so with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), but the conversation shifted into high gear in April 2021.  Just four months later, a Contract for Service between LVVTA and NZTA (to provide Repair Certifiers with much needed support systems, oversight, guidance, and standards) had been negotiated and signed on the dotted line. This was a significant step forward for the repair certification industry, an exciting challenge for LVVTA, and a great solution to a long-term problem for NZTA.

“On 18 August, NZTA signed a three-year contract with Specialist Certification Management (Repair) Ltd (SCM Repair) to support Repair Certifiers. SCM Repair operates under the established and successful Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) platform. The LVVTA ensures all modified cars are designed and constructed so they can be safely operated on our roads, so it’s well versed in managing and meeting regulatory compliance. Since the contract was signed, SCM Repair has met with all certifiers and is prioritising a work programme. We’re really impressed with the progress it has made and we’re now working on a plan to transition the support aspects of our repair work to SCM Repair. Working with SCM Repair is an example of understanding our capabilities and recognising when there’s a better way to fulfil our commitment to stakeholders. Well done to all involved for living our value kia māia (be brave) and doing things differently.”

Kane Patena, (then) General Manager Te Roopu Waeture | Regulatory Services, NZTA.

Eight weeks later, Specialist Certification Management (Repair) Ltd (trading as RepairCert NZ) was up and running in a designated office within LVVTA’s building in Porirua.

After the initial three years of getting the early building blocks in place, in 2024 LVVTA Operations Manager Ken McAdam took over the CEO role (of both LVVTA and RepairCert NZ) to enable Tony to focus fulltime on the growing document development commitments which LVVTA, and now RepairCert NZ, have. Ken has a strong focus on technology and is moving both organisations forward, continuing to build good relationships with NZTA and improve and develop the repair certification system for a great future.