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Rally is free to watch more often than any other form of NZ motorsport — most events have public spectator points on closed stages, though some service parks or premium zones charge.
The NZRC is the national series, run over six rounds a season and sanctioned by MotorSport New Zealand. Rounds move around the country — Otago, Canterbury, Southland, Hawke's Bay, Whangarei and the Bay of Plenty in 2026 — each hosted by a local organising club with its own character. Live stage-by-stage results are published by ChrisSport, and live stream coverage runs at NZRC.tv.
Below the NZRC sit two regional series that are often the better day out: the North Island Rally Series and the Mainland Rally Series in the South. Some rounds run alongside NZRC events, others stand alone in places the national series doesn't reach.
The Silver Fern Rally is New Zealand's gravel marathon — over a thousand kilometres of special stages across the North Island. At the other end, club rallysprints and clubmans rallies run through the season and are usually the easiest to get to.
Rally stages are closed public roads with no run-off and no barriers. Only ever watch from marshalled spectator areas, follow marshal instructions, and never cross or walk on a closed road once a stage is live. Arrive early — roads close well before the first car, and once they're shut you're staying put until the stage clears.
Stages are rural. Expect gravel roads, no facilities, no cell coverage in places, and weather that changes. Solid footwear, warm layers, food and water, and a full tank before you leave town.
Rally is unusual: you can get inside a real event without owning a car, holding a competition licence, or spending much at all.
Every rally car carries two people. The co-driver reads route instructions from the road book — intersections, hazards, distances — and manages timing at controls. It's a genuine competitive role with its own skill set, and it's the single most common way Kiwis get their first rally start. Crews are constantly looking for co-drivers; ask at a club or post in the rally community.
Rallies run on hundreds of volunteers — road closures, control points, SOS points, service park, rally HQ. No experience needed; you'll be trained on the day for a job that suits you. You'll also get one of the best views on the stage, and you'll learn how an event actually works from the inside. The NZRC runs a volunteering page, and organising clubs recruit ahead of every round.
A rallysprint is a shorter, repeated single-stage format — far cheaper to enter than a full stage rally, and the most common first event for new drivers. It still requires an R Grade licence, but the car preparation and running costs are a fraction of a championship round.
Clubmans rallies sit between rallysprint and national level — a real multi-stage rally experience run at club permit grade, and the natural next step before entering a National or Championship round.
Rallying has its own MotorSport NZ licence grade. Here's the path from nothing to a start line.
MotorSport NZ issues two national competition grades: C Grade covers ClubSport and National Race events, R Grade covers ClubSport and National Rally events. They don't cross over — a C Grade licence will not get you into a rally. R Grade is the minimum for all rally events, including rallysprints and clubmans rallies.
Register at MotorSport Online and complete your profile, including a passport-style photo — that image prints onto your licence card. If you've held a licence, registered a vehicle or entered an event before, you may already have a record; the MotorSport NZ office can find it.
You cannot hold a MotorSport NZ competition licence without membership of an affiliated member car club. Add the club membership in the Licences tab; it must show as Approved with a current expiry date before your licence application can proceed. Club contacts are listed on MotorSport NZ's affiliated club page.
Submit the MSNZ Competition Licence form — application, medical declaration, payment. National grades require a medical declaration covering conditions and medication, reviewed by MotorSport NZ's Medical Assessor. First-time Junior R Grade applications also need a form completed by a doctor.
Study the National Sporting Code, Schedule A, and Appendix Three — Schedule R of the MotorSport Manual. MotorSport NZ publishes an R Grade study guide with sample questions. Contact a Licence Examiner near you to sit it; they mark you off in the online system.
Junior licence grades run from age 12 to 15, with senior grades from 16. First-time Junior R Grade applicants also need signed clearance from a course run by a MotorSport NZ Licensed Driving School.
R1 is the entry grade. Upgrading to R2 requires competition results and experience, submitted through the system — so start at clubmans and rallysprint level and build a record.
Rally has the strictest safety requirements of any grassroots discipline in New Zealand — and the rules changed significantly in recent years. Check current requirements in Schedule A and Schedule R of the MotorSport Manual before buying anything.
MotorSport NZ phased in FHR devices across all rally permit grades: Championship Rally first, then Clubmans and National Rally from 1 January 2023, and Rallysprint from 1 January 2024. There is no rally grade left where an FHR is optional.
The FIA approves two systems — HANS and Hybrid. MotorSport NZ additionally permits devices complying with SFI Spec 38.1, which brings NecksGen into the eligible list here. For FIA-sanctioned events such as the World Rally Championship and Asia Pacific Rally Championship, only HANS and Hybrid are permitted.
Fitting an FHR usually means other work on the car first. The minimum hardware is a MotorSport NZ homologated harness bar behind the driver's seat, a correctly anchored 4-point harness as per Schedule A (5 or 6-point strongly recommended), and the seat, harness and FHR installed to FIA guidelines. MotorSport NZ's Technical Department will advise on your specific car.
Stage rally cars need a compliant safety cage and a current MotorSport NZ logbook. Cage certification and logbook administration run through MotorSport NZ's Technical Department — start there before you buy a used rally car, and check the logbook is current and matches the vehicle.
MotorSport NZ has publicly warned that non-compliant driver suits are sold in New Zealand. Check the homologation label yourself rather than trusting a retailer's description, and confirm the standard against the current Schedule A.
Touring stages between special stages run on open public roads at normal speeds under normal road rules. Your rally car must be road registered, warranted and road legal to complete them.
The governing body for rally in New Zealand — licensing, permits, technical and safety rules.
Email: admin@motorsport.org.nz
Phone: 04 815 8015 (Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5pm)
Address: 102A Kapiti Road, Paraparaumu 5032
MotorSport NZ's Technical Department will advise on safety cages, logbooks and fitting an FHR system to your specific vehicle.
Email: technical@motorsport.org.nz
Phone: 04 815 8015 (option 2), weekdays 9am-5pm
For anything about the national series — rounds, entries, volunteering.
Email: info@rallynz.org.nz
Web: nzrallychamps.co.nz
ChrisSport publishes NZRC, North Island Rally Series and Mainland Rally Series results, points tables and entry lists.
Web: chrissport.nz
Club membership is a prerequisite for any MotorSport NZ competition licence, and clubs are where rallysprints and clubmans events actually get run. MotorSport NZ maintains the full affiliated club directory at motorsport.org.nz/clubs.
Most people start as a co-driver or at club rallysprints, which need a basic MotorSport NZ licence and club membership. Marshalling at a rally is also a free way to learn how events run from the inside.
Usually yes — most NZ rallies have free public spectator points on closed stages, though some premium zones or service parks may charge. Check each event's listing for confirmed spectator info.
The NZRC is the national series, run over six rounds at venues across the country each season, attracting NZ's top crews. Each round's dates and details are listed on this page as they're confirmed.
A full rally runs multiple closed-road stages over a day or weekend; a rallysprint is a shorter, repeated single-stage format — cheaper to enter and the most common first event for new drivers.
Entry-level events accept road-legal cars with basic safety gear for some classes, but stage rallies require a roll cage and MotorSport NZ-compliant safety equipment. Check the event's regulations before entering.
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