Tacoma ownership in New Zealand - compliance and modifications

Welcome to NZ mate! Went through the same process two years ago when I imported my 2020 Tacoma from Canada. The lighting restrictions are pretty strict here - had to remove my 50" light bar and go with smaller pods that met ADR standards.

For suspension, as long as you have engineering certificates from the manufacturer showing it doesn't exceed the 50mm lift limit, you should be fine. Bilstein 5100s are well-documented so that shouldn't be an issue. Pro tip: There's a guy in Hamilton called Pacific 4x4 who specializes in Toyota imports and knows the compliance process inside out.

I'm actually a Kiwi who bought my Tacoma locally through the official Toyota dealer network here. Didn't realize they were allowing US imports again - thought that stopped years ago?

Either way, once you get it sorted you'll love the trails here. The Mackenzie Pass and some of the high country stations in Canterbury are absolutely epic. Way different terrain than Moab but just as challenging. Make sure you get familiar with the access rules though - some areas require permission from landowners.

Lighting compliance is the biggest headache. I had to replace all my Diode Dynamics pods with ones that had proper ADR approval markings. Cost me nearly $800 NZD but it was that or fail compliance.

On the plus side, there's a growing Tacoma community here now. We've got a WhatsApp group for the North Island if you want in - usually organize monthly runs around the Coromandel and Rotorua areas. The volcanic terrain makes for some unique wheeling opportunities you won't find anywhere else!

For parts, I've been using RockAuto for most stuff and just dealing with the shipping costs. Sometimes works out cheaper than local even with duties.