Which Rental Campervans Are Certified Self-Contained in New Zealand? 74 Models, Company by Company
Updated 17 September 2026 · 15 min read
The short answer
- Listed as certified, no conflicting documents
- 62 of 74 models13 companies' own pages and terms, read 17 September 2026
- Not self-contained
- 5 modelsJUCY Crib and Cloudbreak, Spaceships Beta and Dream Sleeper Mini, Travellers Autobarn Station Wagon
- Company documents at odds with the rules
- 7 modelsTravellers Autobarn's four (a portable toilet in its terms) and Campervan Village's three (the old standard). Check the card at pickup
- The proof that counts
- A green warrant cardDisplayed inside the windscreen and backed by the national register. A green sticker has no official status
- The toilet rule
- Fixed to the vehicleA cassette toilet can qualify; a portable one does not
- Where a certified van may freedom camp
- Only where the land's rules allowSet by councils, the Department of Conservation and Land Information New Zealand for their own land, and by laws such as the Reserves Act
- Fine for camping where it isn't allowed
- NZ$400The infringement fee; up to NZ$1,200 in court, plus most rental companies' own handling fee
- Check any van
- nzscv.co.nzThe national register: search by registration number, VIN or chassis number
The short version
The short version. The 13 rental companies compared here list 74 campervan and motorhome models between them. Five are not self-contained: JUCY's Crib and Cloudbreak, Spaceships' Beta and Dream Sleeper Mini, and Travellers Autobarn's Station Wagon. The companies list the other 69 as certified. For 62 of those, the companies' own material is consistent with the current rules, apart from some loose toilet wording on thl's pages that the tables explain. For the remaining seven it is not: Travellers Autobarn's terms make the certificate on 'certain campervans', which its FAQ names as four models, depend on a portable toilet, and Campervan Village's three cite only the old standard. Neither fact shows that those vans lack a green warrant, but neither lets you rely on the listing alone.
Since 7 June 2026, only a green warrant counts as certification, and under the law's transition rules rental fleets have needed one since 7 December 2024. It requires, among other things, a toilet fixed to the vehicle; a toilet whose waste cassette slides out for emptying is allowed. The proof is a credit-card-sized green warrant card displayed inside the windscreen, backed by an entry on the national register. The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, which regulates certification, says the green 'self-contained' stickers some rental companies use 'have no official status'.
Certification and permission are separate questions. On land run by a council (local government), the Freedom Camping Act allows freedom camping in a certified van unless a local bylaw or other law restricts or prohibits it, or the van carries more people than it is certified for, and allows it in a van that is not self-contained only where a bylaw or other law permits it. On conservation land any vehicle may camp unless the Department of Conservation (DOC) or another law restricts or prohibits it, but DOC's reserves are closed unless DOC lists them as open to self-contained vehicles or provides or approves a campsite there. Crown land run by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is closed unless a notice opens it. So a certified van is still turned away wherever those rules say no: from Queenstown Lakes District's urban areas, from sites DOC prohibits, and from any site signed 'no camping'.
Ten of the 13 companies list every model as self-contained
| Company | Models listed | Listed as self-contained | Of those, company documents at odds with the rules | Not self-contained |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | 7 | 7 | None | None |
| Big Little Campers | 3 | 3 | None | None |
| Britz | 6 | 6 | None | None |
| Campervan Village | 3 | 3 | 3: only the old standard is cited | None |
| JUCY | 7 | 5 | None | 2: Crib, Cloudbreak |
| Maui | 5, each also as an Elite version | 5 | None | None |
| Mighty | 8 | 8 | None | None |
| Spaceships | 5 | 3 | None | 2: Beta, Dream Sleeper Mini |
| Star RV | 3 | 3 | None | None |
| Travellers Autobarn | 5 | 4 | 4: a portable toilet in its terms | 1: Station Wagon |
| Waka Campa | 4 | 4 | None | None |
| Wendekreisen | 11 | 11 | None | None |
| Wilderness Motorhomes | 7 | 7 | None | None |
| All 13 companies | 74 | 69 | 7 | 5 |
Read on each company's New Zealand website and in its terms, 17 September 2026. Models are counted as each company names them: Maui's Elite versions count with their base models, Wendekreisen's two Koru Star 2 Freedom versions (LDV and VW) count separately, and Spaceships' Beta counts once for its Original and Budget versions. 'Listed as self-contained' is the company's claim, not proof that a given vehicle holds a warrant.
The 62 rental models listed as self-contained, and the evidence for each
What the toilet rule allows
The regulations require a toilet whose base is rigidly mounted and does not have to be removed to empty it, draining into a fitted tank or a removable cassette. They do not require a separate bathroom or a shower. In practice: if the seat and bowl stay fixed and only the waste cassette comes out, the toilet can qualify; if the whole toilet lifts out, it is portable, and the Board says portable toilets 'do not meet the requirements'. Britz's 'affixed portable' and 'fixed portable' wording below describes a toilet attached to the van; Travellers Autobarn's terms, in the next section, describe a portable toilet handed over at pickup.
Six companies tie their claim to the current rules: they name the green warrant, the 2023 regulations or the latest self-containment requirements.
| Company | Models | Toilet, in the company's words | Shower | The company's evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Little Campers (no shower) | The Little One, The Big One | 'Built in fixed toilet' | No | 'Self-Contained: Yes (Green Sticker)'. The Little One's page adds 'meets latest self-containment regulations'. Certified for up to two people in The Little One and three in The Big One |
| Big Little Campers (shower) | The Biggest One | 'Built in fixed cassette toilet' | Hot shower | 'Self-Contained: Yes (Green Sticker)' and 'Certified green self-contained', for up to three people |
| JUCY (shower) | Chaser; Chill'd-branded Sundaze and Big Kahuna | 'Fixed toilet' | Fixed shower; a bathroom on the Big Kahuna | JUCY's freedom-camping guide: every JUCY campervan is 'Green Warrant certified' except the Crib and Cloudbreak. The model pages call the vans certified self-contained, or self-contained with a bathroom on the Big Kahuna |
| JUCY (no shower) | Condo; Chill'd-branded Sunseeker | 'Fixed toilet' | No | The same guide; both model pages call the van certified self-contained |
| Spaceships | Beta 2S, Sigma, VW Cosmo | Fixed: a 'fixed cassette toilet' on the Sigma, and one 'hidden discreetly under the bed' on the Cosmo | None listed | Spec tables: 'Certified Self-Contained: YES, Green Warrant'. The Sigma's page gives its certification period as 2026–2030. The Beta 2S page still calls it the company's only self-contained van |
| Star RV | Polaris 2, 4 and 6 | In a bathroom; the type is not stated | Yes | Its New Zealand home page: every vehicle 'carries a Green self-containment certificate for freedom camping' |
| Waka Campa (outdoor shower) | Explorer Saver, Explorer, Explorer Neo | 'Fixed toilet', a 'fixed-flush onboard toilet' in its help centre | Outdoor | Each vehicle page: 'certified Self-Contained under new 2025 regulations'. Its help centre tells renters they can check the van on the national register |
| Waka Campa (indoor shower) | Outrider | 'Fixed flush toilet' | Indoor, cold water | The same wording as the Explorers |
| Wendekreisen | All 11: Budget 2, Budget 2 Premium, Budget 2 Freedom; Koru 2, 3 and 4 Freedom; Koru Star 2 Freedom (LDV and VW versions); Koru Star 3, 4 and 6 Freedom | Cassette toilet | Yes | Each vehicle page: certified under the 2023 self-containment regulations, which it calls the 'Plumbers, Gas and Drain Fitters (Self-Contained Vehicles) Regulations 2023' |
Read on each company's New Zealand website, 17 September 2026. The regulations Waka Campa dates to 2025 were made in 2023; 2025 is when their transition was extended. A 'Green Sticker' is Big Little Campers' own term: the legal proof is the warrant card.
Five more companies say only that their vehicles are certified. thl, which owns Apollo, Britz, Maui and Mighty, marks every vehicle as certified self-contained in its booking system, including models whose pages never mention it. Wilderness makes one fleet-wide statement in its FAQ.
| Company | Models | Toilet, in the company's words | Shower | The company's evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo (no shower) | Hitop, Endeavour | '12L self contained hideaway toilet', called built-in on the Hitop page and fixed on the Endeavour page | No | thl's booking system; the Hitop page also says certified |
| Apollo (shower) | Euro Tourer, Euro Plus, Euro Quest, Euro Camper, Euro Deluxe | Toilet; the type is not stated | Yes | thl's booking system; the model pages do not call them certified |
| Britz (no shower) | HiTop, Voyager | '12L hideaway self contained toilet', also called an 'affixed portable toilet' (HiTop) and a 'fixed portable toilet' (Voyager) | No | A 'Certified Self Contained' badge on each page; thl's booking system |
| Britz (shower) | Venturer, Wanderer, Odyssey, Navigator | Toilet; the type is not stated | Yes | A 'Certified Self Contained' badge on each page; thl's booking system |
| Maui | Ultima, Ultima Plus, Cascade, Beach, River, each also as an Elite version | Toilet; the type is not stated | Yes | thl's booking system, for all ten versions; of the model pages, only the Ultima Plus page mentions certification |
| Mighty (no shower) | HiLITE, DeLITE, Highball, Double Down | '12L self-contained hideaway toilet', listed as a 'Hideaway fixed toilet' | No | A 'Certified Self Contained' badge on each page; thl's booking system |
| Mighty (shower) | Deuce, Deuce Plus, Double Up, Big Six | Toilet; the type is not stated | Yes | thl's booking system; the model pages do not call them certified |
| Wilderness Motorhomes | Compact for 2, Double for 2, Queen for 2 (Slim), Twin/King for 2 (Slim), Twin/King for 4, Double for 4, The Suite | 'Cassette Flush' | Yes | Its FAQ says its motorhomes are 'certified self-contained (CSC)'. The vehicle pages do not mention certification |
thl's booking system was queried on 17 September 2026 for departures in November 2026, January 2027 and March 2027 from Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown, and marked every Apollo, Britz, Maui and Mighty vehicle it returned as certified self-contained. Model pages read the same day. Several Mighty pages also carry generic care instructions that mention a 'porta potti', including the Big Six's, which has a full bathroom.
Certification says little about comfort. The rows marked 'no shower' cover twelve models, and Spaceships lists no shower on any of its three.
Seven self-contained listings that don't match the green-warrant rules
| Company | Models | What the company says | Where it conflicts with the current rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travellers Autobarn | Chubby, HiTop, Kuga and Hi5 | Its FAQ says all four are 'fitted out with the self-containment certificate'. Its New Zealand terms, effective 19 June 2026, say that for 'certain campervans' a fee at pickup (NZ$50) 'entitles you to a porta potti (portable toilet). Please note without the porta potti the certificate will not be valid.' | The Board says portable toilets 'do not meet the requirements', and these terms took effect after both 7 December 2024 and 7 June 2026. We found no warrant or standard named anywhere on the company's site. The Chubby's page lists no toilet; the other three list a toilet without saying what kind |
| Campervan Village | Mystery Machine 2, Aventus 2 and Aventus Plus | Each vehicle page: 'Certified self contained to NZA 5465' | The only standard cited appears to be NZS 5465:2001, behind the old blue warrant, which rental vehicles have not been able to rely on since 7 December 2024. The pages list a toilet without saying what kind |
Travellers Autobarn: New Zealand Rental Terms & Conditions effective 19 June 2026, clause 13, and its FAQ and vehicle pages. Campervan Village: its New Zealand vehicle pages. All read 17 September 2026.
Ask for the green warrant in writing before you book
Ask the company whether the vehicle you are booking holds a green warrant, and whether its toilet is fixed. At pickup, check the warrant card and look the van up on the national register before your first night at a self-contained-only site. If there is no current green card, plan every night at a holiday park, a paid campsite or a site open to vehicles that are not self-contained.
The five rental campervans that are not self-contained
| Model | What it carries | What the company says | Source, read 17 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| JUCY Crib | A 25-litre fresh-water tank; no toilet and no waste-water tank | 'Self-contained: No' | JUCY's Crib page and its freedom-camping guide |
| Chill'd Cloudbreak (JUCY) | A 10-litre fresh-water tank; no toilet and no waste-water tank | 'The Cloudbreak is not self-contained' | JUCY's Cloudbreak page and its freedom-camping guide |
| Spaceships Beta (Original and Budget) | A 10-litre water tank; no toilet listed | 'Certified Self-Contained: no' | Spaceships' Beta page |
| Spaceships Dream Sleeper Mini | A 20-litre water tank; no toilet listed | 'Certified Self-Contained: no' | Spaceships' Dream Sleeper Mini page |
| Travellers Autobarn Station Wagon | A water tank and a tent; no toilet listed | 'Stationwagons are not self-contained' | Travellers Autobarn's New Zealand terms, effective 19 June 2026, clause 13.2 |
Water is not what separates these from their certified siblings. The Crib carries the same 25 litres of fresh water as Spaceships' Beta 2S and Big Little Campers' The Little One, both listed as certified. The difference is the fixed toilet and a tank for the waste water. The names can also be close: Spaceships' Beta is not certified, while its Beta 2S is listed as certified, so book by model name.
A van that is not self-contained still has places to sleep: holiday parks, paid campsites, private land with the owner's permission, and the public land that permits such vans, set out below.
Only a green warrant counts, and it needs a fixed toilet
- Green warrantwarrant card
- The certification under the 2023 rules, and the card that proves it. The card is green and credit-card-sized, and shows the vehicle's registration plate, its issue and expiry dates, the authority that certified it, the maximum number of people it is certified for, and its unique certification number. It must be displayed upright inside the windscreen, facing out, on the side away from the steering wheel: the left, in a right-hand-drive van.
- Certificate of self-containment
- The official document behind the card. The Board says it is valid for up to four years, as long as the vehicle keeps meeting the requirements, and that it can be revoked if the vehicle is changed so that it no longer does.
- National registerSCV Register
- The Self-contained Motor Vehicles Register at nzscv.co.nz. Its public search takes a vehicle registration number, VIN or chassis number and shows whether the vehicle holds a current certificate, whether an earlier one expired or was revoked, and the expiry date.
- Fixed toilet
- The toilet's base must be rigidly mounted and must not need removing to empty it; a removable cassette is allowed. The Board says a vehicle's size alone does not decide whether it can be certified.
- Three days' capacity
- The water, toilet and waste-water facilities must last at least three days for the maximum number of people the vehicle is certified for. The rules also require a sink draining to the waste-water tank, ventilation, secure rubbish storage, and hygienic ways to load water and empty waste water. A shower is not required.
- Blue warrantNZS 5465:2001
- The old certification. Since 7 June 2026 the Board says only green-warrant vehicles are 'recognised as self-contained', so a van with only a blue warrant is treated as not self-contained and may freedom camp only where such vans are allowed.
The switch reached rental fleets first. The law's transition ran in four stages, and only in the last were vehicles owned by a rental company barred from relying on an old certificate.
| Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2023 | The transition in Schedule 1AA of the Freedom Camping Act begins | The explanatory note to the 2025 extension regulations |
| 7 December 2024 | The last stage begins. An old certificate now counts only for a vehicle 'not owned by a rental company', so rental vehicles need a green warrant | Freedom Camping Act, Schedule 1AA clauses 2 and 6, by our reading: the stage starts 18 months after 7 June 2023 |
| 7 June 2026 | The last stage ends, a year later than first set, to give owners 'other than rental companies' time to certify. Only green-warrant vehicles are now recognised as self-contained | The 2025 extension regulations (SL 2025/67), regulation 3 and explanatory note; the Board |
No government page we found states the 7 December 2024 date in words; it follows from the Act's own periods, and Spaceships' Beta 2S page shows the same date against its green warrant.
A green sticker is not a green warrant
Big Little Campers describes its vans as 'Green Sticker' certified, Spaceships' Sigma page mentions a 'green sticker certification', and Waka Campa's help centre points to 'the green self-contained sticker displayed on the van'. The Board says the stickers used by some rental companies and certification authorities 'are not part of the legal self-containment system and have no official status', and that enforcement officers look only for a valid warrant card and a current entry on the register. The warrant card is green too, so check what is printed on it, not its colour.
Where a self-contained van may freedom camp, and where it may not
The Board and its certifiers decide whether a vehicle is self-contained. Councils, DOC and LINZ decide where freedom camping is restricted or prohibited on the land they manage, and they enforce those rules. The Board's own FAQ asks 'Can I freedom camp anywhere if my vehicle is certified as self-contained?', and answers that freedom camping is generally permitted on public land unless a local bylaw or other legislation restricts or prohibits it, advising you to check the rules for the area and the signs at each site.
- Freedom campingFreedom Camping Act, s 5
- Camping, other than at a camping ground, on or within 200 metres of a formed road or a Great Walks track, or within 200 metres of an area accessible by motor vehicle or of the mean low-water springs line of any sea or harbour, in a tent or other temporary structure or in a motor vehicle.
- Camping ground
- A registered camping ground, or any site where a fee is payable for camping, so a paid holiday park or a paid DOC campsite is not freedom camping. The Board treats private property the same way, and says the certification requirements do not apply in a campground, a holiday park or on private property.
- Also not freedom camping
- The Act leaves out temporary and short-term parking, day trips, and 'resting or sleeping at the roadside in a motor vehicle to avoid driver fatigue'. The last is tied to its purpose, and this guide cannot say how enforcement officers apply it.
| Land | The Act's starting point | Where a certified van is still turned away | Where a van that is not self-contained may camp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council land | Freedom camping is permitted in a self-contained vehicle unless a bylaw or other law restricts or prohibits it, or the van carries more people than it is certified for | Wherever a bylaw or other law says so, as in the Queenstown Lakes examples below | Only where a bylaw or other law permits it |
| DOC conservation land | Freedom camping is permitted unless a DOC notice or another law restricts or prohibits it | At sites DOC prohibits, 'even if you are in a certified self-contained vehicle', and beyond a site's night limit | Where camping has been neither prohibited nor restricted to self-contained vehicles |
| DOC-administered reserves | Closed under the Reserves Act, unless DOC lists the reserve as open to self-contained vehicles or provides or approves a campsite there | Every reserve DOC neither lists as open to self-contained vehicles nor provides or approves a campsite in | Only at a campsite DOC provides or approves |
| LINZ land | Freedom camping is not permitted unless LINZ issues a notice allowing it, which can require a self-contained vehicle | Everywhere without such a notice | Only where a notice permits it without that condition |
Freedom Camping Act 2011, sections 5, 10, 15 and 19A; DOC's freedom camping page and its list of prohibited and restricted conservation areas. Read 17 September 2026.
What those rules look like on the ground, in one council district and at two DOC sites:
| Place | For a certified self-contained van | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Queenstown Lakes: urban areas | Freedom camping is prohibited; the council's example is on-road parking spaces such as parallel or angle parks | Queenstown Lakes District Council |
| Queenstown Lakes: 15 designated car parks | Allowed, in 141 spaces in all, if each site's conditions are followed | Queenstown Lakes District Council |
| Queenstown Lakes: rural roads | Allowed, for example in off-road laybys, if the bylaw's conditions are met, including how close to the road the vehicle parks | Queenstown Lakes District Council |
| Queenstown Lakes: council reserves | Most are closed to camping under the Reserves Act, outside the bylaw; the Luggate Red Bridge Reserve stays open under the conditions on its signs | Queenstown Lakes District Council |
| Maungapohatu Road, Te Urewera | Self-contained vehicles only, for no more than four nights in a single calendar month | DOC's list of prohibited and restricted areas |
| Huka–Aratiatia amenity area, Tūrangi–Taupō | Self-contained vehicles only, for no more than four nights in a single calendar month | DOC's list of prohibited and restricted areas |
Examples only. Queenstown Lakes: the council's announcement of 28 November 2025 that its Freedom Camping Bylaw 2025 would take effect on 1 December 2025. DOC's list marks each site it names as prohibited or restricted, and DOC also publishes an interactive map of prohibited and restricted areas. Read 17 September 2026.
For each place you plan to stay, work down this list.
The site charges a fee for camping, or it is private land and you have the owner's permission
A paid site is not freedom camping under the Act, and the Board treats private property the same way; it says the certification requirements do not apply in either. The operator's or owner's rules do.
A sign says no camping
You may not camp there, certified or not.
A sign says self-contained vehicles only
Camp only with a current green warrant card on display, within any night limit, and with no more people than the card allows.
It is council land with no sign
A certified van may camp unless the council's bylaw or other law restricts or prohibits it there, with the warrant card displayed and no more people than it allows. Check the bylaw first; some councils publish a map, such as Queenstown Lakes' responsible camping map. A van that is not self-contained may camp only where a bylaw or other law permits it.
It is a DOC reserve
Assume no. DOC says freedom camping is prohibited in every reserve it administers unless its list shows the reserve open to self-contained vehicles, or it provides or approves a campsite there.
It is other conservation land with no sign
Check DOC's list or map before you stay. DOC says not every restricted area has a 'No Camping' sign.
You can't tell who manages the land
Don't camp there until you know. LINZ land, for one, is closed to freedom camping unless LINZ has issued a notice allowing it.
Freedom camping fines, and what the rental company adds
| Offence | Infringement fee | Maximum court fine |
|---|---|---|
| Camping where a council bylaw or a DOC notice prohibits or restricts it, including beyond a night limit | NZ$400 | NZ$1,200 |
| Camping on council land in a van that is not self-contained, where that is not permitted | NZ$400 | NZ$1,200 |
| Camping on LINZ land where it is not permitted | NZ$400 | NZ$1,200 |
| Camping on council land with more people than the van is certified for | NZ$400 | NZ$1,200 |
| Not displaying the warrant card where it is required, on council or DOC land | NZ$200 | NZ$600 |
| Damaging the site or leaving waste, on council or DOC land | NZ$800 | NZ$2,400 |
| Failing or refusing to leave DOC land when an enforcement officer requires it | NZ$600 | NZ$1,800 |
| Displaying an altered or fraudulent warrant card | NZ$600 | NZ$1,800 |
Freedom Camping (Penalties for Infringement Offences) Regulations 2023, Schedule 2, read 17 September 2026. The infringement fee is the fixed amount on an infringement notice; the maximum is the most a court can impose. Queenstown Lakes says fines for camping on its reserves, which it says fall outside its bylaw, or for breaching the conditions at its Luggate Red Bridge Reserve site, are NZ$800; its announcement does not say which provision sets that figure.
For these infringement offences, the Act says the prosecution does not need to prove that you acted intentionally or recklessly. The Board also says rental companies 'are responsible for ensuring their fleets are compliant'; this guide cannot say how that bears on a renter's liability for a fine. Companies deal with a notice in one of two ways: some transfer it into your name, as JUCY, Star RV and Waka Campa describe, and some charge it to your card. For the second, the Act sets the order of events:
An infringement notice is issued for the van
Proceedings can be taken against whoever committed the offence, and against the vehicle's registered person, usually the rental company.
The company receives the notice
Before it may charge your credit card under your rental agreement, it must, within five working days, send a copy with the agreement to the permanent address you gave (for a visitor, possibly overseas) and tell you it will charge your card if a reminder notice arrives.
A reminder notice arrives
If your agreement authorises it, the company can charge the fine to your card, and most add the handling fee in the next table. It must refund the fine if the authority drops the matter or a court does not find you liable.
| Company | Fee for handling a fine | Where it is published |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo, Britz, Maui, Mighty | Up to NZ$35 per fine under the rental agreement, which names freedom camping. thl's summary of conditions gives up to NZ$77 per traffic infringement or parking fine; the two documents disagree | thl's Rental Vehicle Agreement for pickups from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, effective 8 June 2026; Summary of Rental Conditions, version 12 of 4 August 2026 |
| Big Little Campers | NZ$25 on top of the fine; Freedom Camping Act offences are named | Terms and conditions (undated) |
| Campervan Village | The agreement allows an administration fee when the company charges a fine to your card, but gives no amount | Vehicle Rental Agreement for New Zealand, clause 9.3 |
| JUCY, Star RV | NZ$80 per infringement processed into your name; freedom camping fines are named | Customer Booking Terms and Conditions valid from 1 May 2026 |
| Spaceships | NZ$50 per fine; freedom camping offences are named | Terms and conditions, clause 28.2 (undated) |
| Travellers Autobarn | NZ$75, non-refundable; freedom camping offences are named | New Zealand terms effective 19 June 2026, clause 21.1 |
| Waka Campa | NZ$100, plus its 3.7% card fee, when a fine is transferred into your name | Help-centre FAQ (undated; no standalone terms are published) |
| Wendekreisen | NZ$35 for each parking or traffic violation; freedom camping is not named | Terms and conditions (undated) |
| Wilderness Motorhomes | No company fee stated; the fine and any court costs and authority fees are passed on | Rental terms and conditions effective 1 May 2026 |
Read 17 September 2026. Wendekreisen's FAQ gives the fine for non-compliance as NZ$200; the regulations set NZ$400 for camping where a bylaw or DOC notice prohibits it.
Eight checks, from booking to return
Book by model name
JUCY, Spaceships and Travellers Autobarn list self-contained and non-self-contained vans side by side. If a listing only says 'self-contained', ask in writing whether the vehicle you are booking holds a green warrant.
Find the green warrant card
Look inside the windscreen, on the side away from the steering wheel, for a green card showing this van's registration plate and an expiry date after your trip ends.
Match the card to your group
The card states how many people the van is certified for, and camping on council land with more is an offence. Big Little Campers publishes the number for each van: two in The Little One, three in the other two.
Look the van up on the register
Enter the registration number at nzscv.co.nz to confirm the certificate is current. Waka Campa points its own renters there.
Look at the toilet
The seat and bowl should be fixed in place, with only the waste cassette coming out for emptying. A portable toilet handed over at the counter is the kind the Board says does not meet the requirements.
If the check fails
If the card is missing, expired, blue or for another plate, treat the van as not self-contained. Ask the company for a vehicle with a current card, or plan every night at a holiday park, a paid campsite or a site that permits non-self-contained vans.
Look up each night's rules
Check the council's bylaw or camping map, DOC's list of prohibited and restricted areas, and the signs on site.
Empty the toilet and waste-water tank before return
Several companies charge if they come back full; the charges we found published are in the table below.
| Company | Charge if returned full or not emptied | Published in |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo, Britz, Maui, Mighty | NZ$250 including GST for each tank, toilet or waste water | thl's Rental Vehicle Agreement, effective 8 June 2026, clause 33.2 |
| Campervan Village | NZ$250 for each tank, toilet or waste water | Vehicle Rental Agreement for New Zealand, clause 6.5 |
| JUCY | Up to NZ$500 to empty the grey water or toilet | Customer Booking Terms and Conditions valid from 1 May 2026 |
| Travellers Autobarn | NZ$150 if the porta potti is not emptied and clean | New Zealand terms effective 19 June 2026, clause 13.1 |
| Wendekreisen | NZ$250 for the toilet; NZ$25 for the grey-water tank | Terms and conditions (undated) |
Read 17 September 2026. Companies not listed may still charge; we did not find a published figure.
Frequently asked questions
Are all rental campervans in New Zealand self-contained?
No. Of 74 models listed by 13 rental companies, five are not: JUCY's Crib and Cloudbreak, Spaceships' Beta and Dream Sleeper Mini, and Travellers Autobarn's Station Wagon. The companies list the other 69 as certified. For seven of those, their own documents do not match the current rules: Travellers Autobarn's terms tie the certificate on 'certain campervans', which its FAQ names as four models, to a portable toilet, and Campervan Village's three cite only the old standard. That does not show those vans lack a green warrant, so check the card at pickup.
Which rental companies list every campervan as self-contained?
Ten of the 13. Nine of them have nothing in their own documents pointing the other way beyond some loose wording: Apollo, Big Little Campers, Britz, Maui, Mighty, Star RV, Waka Campa, Wendekreisen and Wilderness Motorhomes. Campervan Village also lists all three of its vans, but cites only the old standard.
Are Apollo, Britz, Maui and Mighty campervans self-contained?
Their owner, thl, marks every Apollo, Britz, Maui and Mighty vehicle in New Zealand as certified self-contained in its booking system, as checked on 17 September 2026. Many model pages do not repeat the claim, and Britz's HiTop and Voyager pages call their 12-litre hideaway toilet 'affixed portable' and 'fixed portable', where Mighty's pages call the same kind of toilet fixed. The warrant card in the van you collect is what settles it.
Is the JUCY Crib self-contained?
No. JUCY's spec table for the Crib reads 'Self-contained: No', and the Crib has no toilet or waste-water tank. The Chill'd Cloudbreak is not self-contained either. JUCY's other five campervans, the Chaser, Condo, Sundaze, Sunseeker and Big Kahuna, are listed as green-warrant certified with a fixed toilet.
Which Spaceships campervans are self-contained?
The Beta 2S, the Sigma and the VW Cosmo, each listed as 'Certified Self-Contained: YES, Green Warrant' with a fixed toilet. The Beta and the Dream Sleeper Mini are not certified.
Are Travellers Autobarn campervans self-contained?
Travellers Autobarn lists the Chubby, HiTop, Kuga and Hi5 as self-contained, and says its Station Wagon is not. Its New Zealand terms, effective 19 June 2026, say the certificate on 'certain campervans' is valid only with a porta potti (portable toilet) issued at pickup for NZ$50, and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board says portable toilets do not meet the requirements. Its pages list a toilet on the HiTop, Kuga and Hi5 without saying what kind. Ask in writing whether your van holds a green warrant, and check the card and the national register at pickup.
What is the difference between a green warrant and a blue warrant?
The blue warrant was issued under the old NZS 5465:2001 standard. The green warrant is issued under the 2023 regulations, which require a toilet fixed to the vehicle, and certified vehicles are recorded on the national register. Under the law's transition rules, rental vehicles have needed a green warrant since 7 December 2024. Since 7 June 2026, the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board says only green-warrant vehicles are recognised as self-contained, so a van with only a blue warrant is treated as not self-contained.
Does a cassette toilet count for self-containment?
It can, if the toilet itself is fixed and the vehicle meets the other requirements. The regulations require a toilet whose base is rigidly mounted and does not have to be removed for emptying, and they allow it to drain into a removable cassette. A portable toilet, which lifts out whole, does not meet the requirements.
Can I freedom camp anywhere in a certified self-contained campervan?
No. On council land a certified van may freedom camp unless a bylaw or other law restricts or prohibits it, or it carries more people than it is certified for, and on DOC conservation land unless a DOC notice or another law restricts or prohibits it. DOC's reserves are closed unless DOC lists them as open to self-contained vehicles or provides or approves a campsite, LINZ land is closed without a notice, and some sites cap stays, such as four nights in a single calendar month at two DOC sites. Queenstown Lakes District Council, for example, prohibits freedom camping in its urban areas. Check the rules for each place and the signs on site.
How do I check if a rental campervan is certified self-contained?
Look for the green warrant card displayed inside the windscreen, on the side away from the steering wheel. It shows the registration plate, the expiry date and the maximum number of people the van is certified for. Then enter the registration number at nzscv.co.nz, the national register, to confirm the certificate is current. A green sticker is not proof: the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board says those stickers have no official status.
Where can I stay in a non-self-contained campervan?
At holiday parks, paid campsites (including DOC's paid campsites; DOC provides more than 320 campsites in all) and private land with the owner's permission; the Board says the certification requirements do not apply there. On public land, a van that is not self-contained may freedom camp on council land only where a bylaw or other law permits it, and on DOC conservation land only where camping has not been prohibited or restricted to self-contained vehicles. DOC's reserves are closed to it except at campsites DOC provides or approves.
Does a self-contained campervan have to have a shower?
No. The rules require a fixed toilet, water and waste-water tanks that last three days for the certified number of people, a sink, ventilation and rubbish storage, but not a shower. Twelve of the rental models listed as certified have no shower, including the JUCY Condo and the Apollo Hitop and Endeavour, and Spaceships lists no shower on its three.
What are the freedom camping fines in New Zealand?
Under the Freedom Camping (Penalties for Infringement Offences) Regulations 2023, camping where a bylaw or DOC notice prohibits or restricts it, or in a non-self-contained van on council land where that is not permitted, carries a NZ$400 infringement fee. Not displaying the warrant card where required is NZ$200, and damaging a site or leaving waste NZ$800. Most rental companies add their own handling fee, from NZ$25 at Big Little Campers to NZ$100 plus a 3.7% card fee at Waka Campa.
Sources & freshness
Law, read on the New Zealand Legislation website on 17 September 2026: the Freedom Camping Act 2011, version as at 6 June 2026 (sections 5, 10, 15, 19A, 20, 20E and 30, and Schedule 1AA clauses 2 and 6; sections 20A to 20D and 26 were read in the version as at 13 July 2023, and the amendments since then do not touch them); the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers (Self-Contained Vehicles) Regulations 2023, version as at 29 August 2024; the Freedom Camping (Self-contained Motor Vehicles—Extension of Period 4) Regulations 2025 and their explanatory note, which gives 7 June 2023 as Schedule 1AA's commencement date; and the Freedom Camping (Penalties for Infringement Offences) Regulations 2023, Schedule 2. The 7 December 2024 date for rental vehicles is our reading of Schedule 1AA, as the transition table explains.
Official guidance, read the same day: the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board's self-contained vehicles pages; the national register's search form (no search was run); DOC's freedom camping pages and its list and map of prohibited and restricted areas; MBIE's freedom camping changes page; and Queenstown Lakes District Council's announcement of 28 November 2025, read as republished in full on Scoop. These are linked below.
Rental companies, all read 17 September 2026 and not linked because their documents change with each revision: each company's New Zealand vehicle pages; JUCY's freedom-camping guide and its and Star RV's Customer Booking Terms and Conditions valid from 1 May 2026; Star RV's New Zealand home page; Spaceships' terms and self-containment pages; Travellers Autobarn's FAQ and New Zealand Rental Terms & Conditions effective 19 June 2026; Big Little Campers' terms; Waka Campa's help-centre FAQ; Wendekreisen's terms and FAQ; Wilderness's FAQ and rental terms effective 1 May 2026; Campervan Village's Vehicle Rental Agreement for New Zealand; and, for Apollo, Britz, Maui and Mighty, thl's booking system (queried for November 2026, January 2027 and March 2027 departures), its Rental Vehicle Agreement for pickups from 1 April 2026 (effective 8 June 2026) and its Summary of Rental Conditions, version 12 of 4 August 2026.
What this guide cannot confirm: whether any individual rental vehicle holds a current warrant, which only the card and the register show; the toilet type in Star RV's and Campervan Village's vans; whether Travellers Autobarn's HiTop, Kuga and Hi5 carry a fixed toilet as well as the portable one its terms describe; and how the fatigue exclusion is enforced.
Where documents disagree: Britz calls its compact vans' hideaway toilet portable where Apollo and Mighty call theirs fixed or built-in; Spaceships' Beta 2S page still describes it as the company's only self-contained van; thl's rental agreement caps its fine-handling fee at NZ$35 where its summary of conditions gives up to NZ$77; Wendekreisen's FAQ gives a NZ$200 fine where the regulations set NZ$400; and Queenstown Lakes' NZ$800 fine for camping on its reserves is not one of the Schedule 2 amounts for camping, and its announcement does not say which provision sets it.
Official sources
- Freedom Camping Act 2011 · New Zealand Legislation · Version as at 6 June 2026; sections 5, 10, 15, 19A, 20–20E, 26 and 30, and Schedule 1AA
- Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers (Self-Contained Vehicles) Regulations 2023 · New Zealand Legislation · SL 2023/217, version as at 29 August 2024; regulations 13, 14, 17, 22 and 23
- Freedom Camping (Self-contained Motor Vehicles—Extension of Period 4) Regulations 2025 · New Zealand Legislation · SL 2025/67; regulation 3 and the explanatory note
- Freedom Camping (Penalties for Infringement Offences) Regulations 2023 · New Zealand Legislation · SL 2023/136; Schedule 2
- Self-contained vehicles: private vehicle owners · Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board · Requirements and FAQ
- Self-contained vehicles: rental vehicle companies · Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board
- Self-contained vehicles: enforcement authorities · Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board · What the register's public search shows
- Self-Contained Motor Vehicles Register · Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board · Search by registration number, VIN or chassis number
- Freedom camping · Department of Conservation
- Conservation areas where freedom camping is prohibited or restricted · Department of Conservation
- Interactive map of prohibited and restricted areas · Department of Conservation
- Freedom camping changes · Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment · Last updated 24 June 2025
- Freedom Camping Bylaw To Support Responsible Camping · Queenstown Lakes District Council, republished by Scoop · 28 November 2025
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