New Zealand Collision Repair Association

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Car damaged? The CRA repairer logo ensures audited standards, work guarantee and dispute resolution. Did you know they don’t make cars like they used to?

They make them better, lighter, stronger, faster and from different materials. That means the company you choose to carry out the repair has to be ‘up to speed’. How would you know? If you chose a member of the Collision Repair Association, chances are they are ‘up to speed’. Since the late 1990′s, car manufacturers have been developing safer and more fuel efficient vehicles. Car technology has changed significantly. Modern vehicles have a wide range of different strength steels, aluminium and composite materials. It is imperative that those materials are repaired correctly. A bad repair could compromise the safety of your vehicle in another accident. NZ has a multitude of different vehicle types and models – the Toyota Hilux has 8 different models alone, all with different safety features
The Collision Repair Association’s membership includes qualified panelbeaters and auto refinish painters and all other car collision repair tradesman and allied businesses. Membership currently stands at around 550 (including 100 Associated members), and is continually increasing. Customers can identify association members and be assured of a high standard of workmanship, by the CRA logo which will be found displayed on members’ premises. CRA – The benchmark for quality for over 100 years. Founded in 1913, formerly known as the NZ Motor Body Builders’ Assn, the Association changed its name in 1998 to better reflect progress in the trade. The Association aims to provide quality and safety assurance to customers by assuring its member’s work meets its own high standards. The NZ Collision Repair Association is ISO 9001 certified

02/11/2026

🚗 A CHANGING VEHICLE MARKET — ARE YOU READY?

The vehicle market is changing, and it's happening faster than many businesses may realise.

New Zealand's vehicle fleet now averages around 15 years old, with households owning more vehicles. At the same time, the new-vehicle market is evolving rapidly, bringing new brands, new technology and new challenges for collision repairers.

🇨🇳 THE CHANGING FACE OF OUR VEHICLE FLEET

Around 29 Chinese vehicle brands are now represented or being discussed in New Zealand, while China has approximately 146 brands.

This isn't something that's coming in the future – it's already happening.

Vehicles such as the Dongfeng Box, priced at around $30,000, demonstrate just how quickly affordable new technology is entering our market.

For repairers, this means staying informed and being prepared. Understanding new vehicles, their construction materials, repair procedures, safety systems, parts availability and training requirements will become increasingly important.

💡 WHO IS EATING YOUR LUNCH?

While some collision repair businesses are finding conditions challenging, others are performing well.

Every business owner should be asking themselves some important questions:

• Are your competitors better trained or better equipped?
• Are they easier to deal with?
• Are they more visible to customers and work providers?
• Are they adapting faster to new vehicles and changing customer expectations?

Understanding what others are doing well, and why, is an important part of ensuring your own business remains competitive.

THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING. YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO CHANGE WITH IT.

New technology, new vehicle brands and changing customer expectations are reshaping collision repair.

The businesses that recognise these changes, invest in their people and equipment, and adapt to what's ahead will be in the strongest position.

Standing still is no longer an option.

The question isn't whether the industry will change. It's whether your business will be ready. 💪

01/11/2026

Hi everyone,

The CRA 6 is sent to CRA members every week and covers 6 key updates happening in the CRA or of interest to those involved in Collision Repair; it takes 1-2 minutes to read.

Week beginning 26th of October 2026

1. WorkSafe has completed its collision repair-focused visits in the area from Hamilton to Northland. Their initial results put the collision repair sector above the designated four “high-risk sectors “of Agriculture, Forestry, Construction & warehousing & transportation for average compliance notices issued.

• These are the number of all improvement notices issued during the visits, which includes verbal advice, improvement notice, directive letter (minor), sustained compliance letter (must be fixed before inspector leaves) and prohibition notice (an official written directive issued to immediately stop an activity).

• 204 collision repair sites were visited;93 were CRA members. The visits produced 15 prohibition notices, mostly related to isocyanate use & ignition sources.

• CRA members had better results than non-members.

• 57% of the CRA members visited were issued compliance notices (verbal through to prohibition notices). 80% of non-members were issued notices.

• The 57% compares with the average compliance notice for the 4 “high risk sectors” of 40-50%.

2. The WorkSafe results reflect similar themes encountered on the WorkSafe visits of two years ago. Meaning businesses did not respond to the findings.
Non-compliance areas are:

• Respiratory Protective equipment (RPE) – correct equipment & training of the wearer.
• Worker & workplace monitoring
• HAZNO inventory management
• Storage and handling of hazardous substances.
• Ignition sources.
• Some electrical certification issues (correct certifiers for spray booths).

3. WorkSafe has reviewed these upper North Island results and will now focus on collision repair businesses in the rest of the North Island, from Hamilton city south to Wellington. The timing of this has not been confirmed. Obvious attention will be on the non-compliance areas in point 2 above.

4. The High Court has supported a Disputes Tribunal decision that Tesla was entitled to disable DC fast charging on two written-off Model 3s that were repaired and re-registered. Two cars were bought through Turners’ damaged vehicle auctions in 2024. Both had been written off by their former owners’ insurers and deregistered. These were repaired and passed inspection for re-registration. Tesla monitors the NZTA register. Under its Unsupported Vehicle Policy, published on its website, it designated the cars as unsupported vehicles once the register listed them as structurally damaged, and sent an over-the-air update disabling DC fast charging. From then on, they could only be charged from a regular power point. Tesla offered to inspect the cars at $1,624.43 each, with fast charging restored only if it was satisfied it was safe to do so. It said damaged high-voltage batteries can, in rare cases, cause serious fires, and internal cell damage can be hard to detect. Claiming breaches of the Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Guarantees Act, the owner took the case to the District Court, which accepted Tesla's position; he then challenged this outcome in the High Court. The judge said the disputes court asked the right question, namely whether it was reasonable for a manufacturer in Tesla’s position, concerned about the fact that its high-voltage batteries can become volatile and dangerous when damaged, to disable a vehicle’s fast charging until satisfied it is safe. The judge ordered the owner to pay Tesla $26,827 in costs plus $257.40 in disbursements.

5. New Zealand's shift to electrified vehicles is not reaching commercial fleets evenly. Battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 28 per cent of the passenger market across the first eight months of 2026, more than double the 12 per cent recorded at the same point in 2025. But commercial registrations fell. Light commercial registrations fell 28 per cent year on year in July, while heavy commercial fell 21 per cent. A fleet that runs both cars and utes is electrifying at one end and not the other. The company vehicles are going electric. The working vehicles are not. That matters because the repair infrastructure behind each is different. Longer repair lead times cause costs and reputational damage for insurers rather than the supplier. A mixed fleet now carries two repair profiles running on different infrastructure, and neither of these is optimum.

6. Conference logo for the May 20-22, 2027, CRA conference in Paihia has been chosen by the Northland organising committee

To End: 🤣🤣😅

Two blokes living in Australia saw a job advertised by the Queen of England. She was looking for footmen, to walk beside her carriage.

They applied and were very happy to be flown to London for an interview with Her Majesty.

On meeting them she says, “Because my footmen must wear long white stockings, I must see your ankles to be sure they are not swollen or misshapen.”

After they show her their ankles, the Queen says, “It is also important that you don’t have knobby knees, so I need to see your knees too.”

Once she has seen their knees, she says. “Now everything appears to be in shape, so I just need to see your testimonials.”

Ten years later, when the pair are finally released from prison, one of the blokes says to the other, “I reckon, if we just had a bit more education, we would have got that job!”

28/10/2026

💥 Learning from Incidents

The CRA is launching a regular Learning from Incidents (LFI) publication.

Learning from incidents (LFI) will provide examples of incidents that have happened in the workplace and share the learnings arising from the investigation.

This will be a concise half- to one-page outline focusing on:

a. A brief description of the incident.

b. How can it be prevented from happening again.

c. The learnings that this incident provided.

d. Including unexpected or indirect consequences of the original incident.

The objective is to freely share information that will help prevent harm to people in collision repair. Transparency of incidents is needed to lift the safety standards of any workplace. Successful programs from other industries always work on the principle that if it’s happened once, and nothing changes, it can happen again, making it a priority to share the incident learnings to prevent a repeat.

LFIs have rules that ensure we focus on the learnings and not who or where the incident occurred

a. The location or business where the incident
occurred isn’t important or divulged.

b. Unless the incident owner agrees on naming
details and those details are relevant to
the learnings.

c. The people involved are kept anonymous, the
learnings are the focus, helping others avoid the
incident reoccurring.

d. Incidents are taken from a wide range of
sources; encouragement is given to everyone
associated with the collision repair industry to
share their knowledge about any incident and
its learnings.

e. Cooperation will be sought from people who
have experienced an incident, this maybe a
painful experience for them and LFI focuses on
ensuring respect for them and their wishes, as
the free sharing of information is providing a
service to us all.

f. Focus is on what is done following an incident
that will prevent it reoccurring. If nothing is done,
no matter how unusual the incident – it could
re-occur.

g. LFI should have content and a format that can
easily be presented and discussed at toolbox
meetings, enlisting support, and ideas from the
people in the workplace is part of the goal of LFI.

🛻 Case 1. 2026

Location:
🛠 Collision repair shop

Activity:
Positioning a vehicle on a Car-O-Liner brand Quick 42, a multi-functional alignment bench system. (Note this learning applies to all mobile chassis machines, in this case it was a Quick 42 brand.)

The Event:
A vehicle was being positioned on the machine, along with the driver, there was a person outside the vehicle acting as a spotter. As the vehicle was misaligned on the bench, the driver drove the vehicle forward to realign it before reversing back onto the bench. When moving forward the front wheels touched the concrete floor, the rear wheel rotation, forced the complete bench backwards. Standing behind the bench, the spotter was pushed against a wall behind them, with the bench pinning their legs, which were severely damaged.
Mechanical assistance was needed to pull the bench off the injured person.

How it can be prevented from happening again

• A mobile chassis bench should be fastened to
the floor to prevent movement
(lateral and longitudinal).

• Vehicles on the bench should be idling when
moving. (not revving or under load)

• Vehicles on the bench should be in park or
neutral with handbrake engaged.

• People acting as spotters must have training
with written training records.

• No person should enter the area behind the
chassis bench during positioning.

• procedures should be in place covering this,
along with floor markings high lighting a
hazardous area.

• A visual confirmation procedure should be used
when loading/unloading the chassis bench

• Consider installing mirrors to give drivers
unobstructed views of the bench rear zones
when positioning.

• Site induction should include the risks around
alignment benches

Learnings:

• A mobile bench that was thought not to require
fastening to ground, moved when the right
circumstances arose.

• Even though a risk is thought unlikely, if it
happens once, unless steps are taken to prevent
the risk, it will happen again.

• Support of the injured person should be
consistent through their recovery, as often
people stop their support after the first week or
so, at a time it's most often needed.

• Other people in the workplace need support
on the day and ongoing, as each person
processes the incident in their own way;
don’t underestimate how an incident can
affect people.

• Toolbox meetings should continually reinforce
standard procedures, safe behaviours and the
risks that exist.

This incident showed that although it was thought this type of chassis machine would not move, it did, requiring steps to be taken to prevent mobile bench movement.

28/10/2026

❓Are you a Licensed Collision Repair category?

🛻 If you are, then these networks are available to you. Signage can be purchased as outlined on the application form.

🛻 Once you have completed the I-CAR New Zealand Model Specific course relating to the particular vehicle manufacturer, complete the application form and send to us.

🛻 All application forms for the various networks are located in the Members Area of the CRA website under ‘Documents & Forms’.

28/10/2026

🤝 STRONGER ADVOCACY. BETTER CONVERSATIONS. REAL PROGRESS.

For the collision repair industry to move forward, we need to keep the conversations going.

The CRA recently held a constructive meeting with a large insurer to discuss paint pricing. A big thank you to Brendon Rosie for the considerable work he has put into this important area.

There’s still work to do, but these discussions matter. They give us the opportunity to better understand the challenges facing insurers while clearly communicating the realities facing collision repair businesses.

We won’t always agree on everything, but open, honest and respectful conversations are essential to achieving progress.

💬 GOOD INFORMATION MAKES STRONGER ADVOCACY.

Wash-bay fees were also on the agenda. Thank you to the members who provided information to support these discussions.

Reliable, real-world information from our members strengthens the CRA’s ability to advocate effectively with insurers and other work providers. The more evidence we can bring to the table, the stronger our position.

This is particularly important for businesses that continue to invest in their facilities, equipment, training, environmental performance and people. These investments are essential to delivering safe, professional, high-quality repairs – and they deserve to be recognised in the conversations that shape our industry.

📣 YOUR VOICE MATTERS.

Further IAG forums are coming up, and we encourage members to attend, participate and provide honest, constructive feedback.

These forums are a valuable opportunity to speak directly with insurers, raise concerns and help shape the future of our industry.

The more members who contribute, the stronger our collective voice becomes.

Progress takes collaboration. Advocacy takes evidence. And a stronger industry takes all of us.

Let’s keep the conversations constructive and keep moving forward – together. 💪

23/10/2026

Happy Labour Day weekend everyone! If you hit the motorway after work today, or are making an early start on the roads tomorrow, drive safe and have an amazing time!

23/10/2026

🚗 RAISING THE STANDARD – it starts with us!

Being a CRA member means standing for more than just vehicle repairs. It also stands for professionalism, safety, accountability and a commitment to getting things right.

This year, we’ve made several changes to the MLO audit process, but the results show there is still work to do. Too many members remain non-compliant, and it’s time to make this a priority.

The CRA Standard isn’t about creating unnecessary paperwork or making life difficult for you. It’s about protecting business owners, employees and customers – and this demonstrates what sets our CRA members apart.

✅ Health and safety compliance
✅ Paint-shop and air-quality requirements
✅ Pressure-vessel and mask-fit testing
✅ Employment agreements, PPE and safety signage
✅ Meeting our WorkSafe, council and other obligations

These aren’t just boxes to tick. They’re part of running a professional, safe and responsible collision repair business.

The good news? Many outstanding items are relatively straightforward to resolve. What’s needed is ownership, action and follow-through. If your business still has work to do, please make it a priority. And if you need help, reach out – our MLO team is here to support you.

💡 Learning from incidents is just as important. By sharing what happens in our workshops and the lessons learned, we can help prevent similar incidents from happening elsewhere. Our Learning from Incidents programme continues to play a valuable role in building a safer industry.

The CRA Standard benefits every member. Whether or not your business holds insurer contracts, maintaining a credible, meaningful industry standard strengthens our reputation and demonstrates our commitment to doing things right.

This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about taking the next step, meeting our responsibilities and building a stronger future for our industry.

One industry. One standard. A commitment to doing better.

Let's keep raising the standard – together. 💪

23/10/2026

Hi everyone,

The CRA 6 is sent to CRA members every week and covers 6 key updates happening in the CRA or of interest to those involved in Collision Repair; it takes 1-2 minutes to read.

Week beginning 19th of October 2026

1. How NZ’s inflation rate compares with other countries:
New Zealand: 3.7%
Australia: 4%
United Kingdom: 3.1%
United States: 3.7%
European Union: 3.2%
Petrol (91 and 95/98 octane) was the largest contributor to the annual inflation rate, up 19.1 percent (a 17.5 percent contribution to the 3.7 percent annual inflation rate).

2. Axanzo is the name of the merged AkzoNobel and Axalta paint companies. The marriage of Dutch paint maker AkzoNobel and U.S. Axalta Coating Systems creates a global coatings business valued at $25 billion. The deal is expected to finalize in early 2027. AkzoNobel shareholders will own 55% of the new group, while Axalta investors will own 45%. The combined business expects annual revenues of $17 billion and targeted annual cost savings of $600 million.

3. EV accident rate data: Norway has the highest EV share of new car sales of any market in the world; EVs accounted for 95.9% of new passenger car sales in 2025. In 2025, the EV accident frequency rate was 41% below the petrol rate, based on more than 1,000 EV accidents and 13 billion EV kilometres. This is an EV rate of 7.7% against petrol’s 13% as accidents per million kilometres driven. Norwegian EV accidents involved 32% more people on average than petrol accidents and are twice as likely to involve a pedestrian. Costs of repair for EV accidents were significantly higher than petrol vehicles.

4. Organisational Change: Two large associations are undergoing organisational change. The Automobile Association (AA) reports they are implementing a new operating model to deliver its strategy more effectively and create a stronger platform for the future. Included in the change is a significant reduction in the size of its leadership team. Responsibility for the mobility and automotive operations now sits primarily with the AA’s new commercial division and its member and customer delivery division. According to AA, most day-to-day contacts remain the same.
MTA and its collision repair sector, CRA, have both had organisational changes recently, reflecting a continual adaptation to a world where customers, technology and markets have rapidly changed.

5. Four trends shaping the future of motor body repair.

a: Technology is adding to the skills of technicians.
Automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are increasingly relevant to collision repair. This includes automated paint mixing, digital colour matching, robotic painting and AI-assisted damage identification, effective use depends on technicians who understand the processes, equipment and repair requirements involved.

b: Skills development must be continuous.
Traditional qualifications and initial apprenticeships must be complemented by ongoing technical training, workplace experience and continuous competence development.

c. Vehicle lifecycle management is expanding the role of the repair sector.
A key distinction is between a vehicle that can be safely repaired, one that is suitable only for parts recovery and a genuine end-of-life vehicle. Decisions made at each stage have implications for road safety, environmental performance, parts traceability and creating value within the automotive economy.

d. Data, standards and repair information are becoming critical.
Accurate technical information, reliable data and consistent standards are important in determining how vehicles are assessed and repaired. They support parts traceability, vehicle histories, environmental reporting and the processes used by insurers and OEMs.
For repairers, access to the correct repair information and an understanding of applicable procedures are essential as vehicles become more complex.

6. A true story from the US, applicable in NZ.

An EV was damaged in an accident; it was towed to a yard and stored. About three weeks later, it caught fire and took several nearby vehicles with it.
The collision impact had ruptured a coolant line, and coolant had gotten into the battery pack. That coolant is conductive at the voltages a charged pack carries, and there was potential for dendritic growth, conductive filaments building inside the cells and shorting them over time. The coolant intrusion was itself a possible cause of thermal runaway, but it wasn’t identified at the time of the damage assessment, so the vehicle sat for three weeks with a charged, compromised pack and the problem built until the pack went into runaway.

When an EV comes in from a serious collision, the hazard doesn’t always make itself obvious. Thermal runaway after a collision is a low-frequency but high-risk event; when it does happen, the consequence is a technician getting hurt if proper precautions and checks aren’t performed. The safe approach is to treat EVs in the same careful way from the moment they arrive; a consistent process keeps a technician safe and protects property.

To End: 🤣

1. Philosophy:

Theory is when bureaucrats and Ministers understand everything, but nothing works.

Practice is when everything works, but nobody understands why.

In government, theory and practice are united, so nothing works as it should and nobody understands why.

2: How fast was your father?

Three little boys were boasting how good their fathers were.

The first boy said, "My father is so fast he can fire an arrow and reach the target before it does."

The second boy responded, "My father is so fast he can fire a gun and reach the target before the bullet"

That's nothing, boasted the third boy. My father works for the local council, and he is so fast that he can knock off work at 5 o'clock and be home by 3:30!

18/10/2026

REMINDER!

CRA END-OF-YEAR MEMBER EVENT
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

YOU ARE INVITED!!!

CRA CNI members and Associate members: mark your calendars and bring along your partners, families, staff, and team members

Venue: C&R Developements Museum
Address: 162 Hannon Road, Cambridge
Date: Thursday 12 November 2026
Time: 4.00 pm - 7.00 pm

A night not to be missed!!!

Join us to experience a fantastic display of vehicles and machinery of all types and decades, plus enjoy some great networking.

Complimentary BBQ and refreshments!!!

Entry by Donation
$10 Per Adult
Children under 16 are free

Cash only- no EFTPOS

RSVP REQUIRED FOR EVERYONE ATTENDING
by Friday 6 November 2026

RSVP to [email protected]

PROUD EVENT SPONSOR - Linkup Paints

17/10/2026

Hi everyone,

The CRA 6 is sent to CRA members every week and covers 6 key updates happening in the CRA or of interest to those involved in Collision Repair; it takes 1-2 minutes to read.

Week beginning: 12th of October 2026

🔴 1. Price Changes from Stats NZ: Petrol and diesel prices increased in September 2026, compared with August 2026. Petrol prices were up 6.4 percent, and diesel prices were up 7.8 percent.

Supply disruptions in late February 2026 created higher fuel prices in March and April; prices declined through to July, increasing again in August and September. Prices in September were still below the peak recorded in April.

In the year ended September 2026, prices for these two fuel types increased – petrol was up 24.3 percent, and diesel was up 55.8 percent. The impact on NZ isn’t supply; NZ supply is well positioned. The NZ impact is on price from product price and freight costs.

🔴 2. WorkSafe has completed its Collision Repair-focused visits to Northland, Auckland, and Hamilton, with visits to 204 businesses; 93 were CRA members. The results will be discussed with the CRA GM on Friday 23 October. Initial comments were that the main safety concerns are like those found in the survey of two years ago: Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), health monitoring, management of isocyanates, HAZNO inventories & storage, and ignition sources. The rest of the North Island from Hamilton to Wellington plans to have a similar inspection focus coming up.

🔴 3. New vehicle manufacturer announcements point to accelerating ADAS complexity. New software developments to meet expected government requirements for AEB, blind spot monitoring, pedestrian detection, along with variations on basic self-driving. This will highlight a gap between OEM capability and collision repair shop capability as the complexity increases. The effect on repairers of these changes is that a repair becomes a bigger job with possibly fewer parts, but more software and computer-related work.

🔴 4. Self-employed people who rely on ACC for income protection are paying more for cover that does not include illness. ACC levies are rising, and ACC's 2026 Annual Report recorded a net deficit of $961 million for the year ended June 30, 2026. That was below the budgeted $2.9 billion deficit, but the shortfalls are across a range of key areas. The Motor Vehicle Account faces a $382 million gap, the Work Account a $161 million gap, and the Earners' Account a $534 million shortfall. The government-funded Non-Earners' Account carries the largest gap, at $761 million.

🔴 5. The final CRA Road Shows of 2026 were completed this week, with Nelson and Greymouth. Always open to new ideas to keep members engaged, in Nelson/Marlborough, discussion was held on this region becoming a separate branch. The size of the Canterbury/Westland/Nelson/ Marlborough region supports this idea. If these changes increase engagement in the branches, it's worth the effort. The National executive will discuss these ideas.

🔴 6. Over five million industrial robots now work in factories worldwide, the highest total ever recorded. Humanoid robots are expanding rapidly, especially in China. The global operational stock of industrial robots rose 9% last year to reach roughly 5.08 million units. Combining AI developments with robotic technology, many manufacturing activities are being added to the work robots can do more effectively and efficiently than human labour.

To End: 🤣😅😂

Reference letter for an employee:

Trevor Adams, my assistant programmer, can always be found

hard at work in his cubicle. Trevor works independently, without

wasting company time talking to colleagues. Trevor never

thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always

finishes given assignments on time. Often, he takes extended

measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee

breaks. Trevor is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no

vanity despite his high accomplishments and profound

knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Trevor can be

classed as a high-calibre employee, the type that cannot be

dispensed with. Consequently, I truly recommend that Trevor be

promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be

executed as soon as possible.

Addendum...

The idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote this report.

Kindly re-read only the odd-numbered lines.

Address

PO Box14, Auckland Airport
Auckland
2011

Website

http://www.collisionrepair.co.nz/

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