When and where
First day – Sunday the 15th of March 2026 is a half day in the afternoon with time set aside for entrants to register, socialise, and take part in an opening ceremony. Final day – Saturday the 21st March 2026 is a full day public display, followed by the Grand Finale and Prize Giving in the evening, so those with stamina enough will actually probably finish on the Sunday morning…
Festival Headquarters plus evening meals and entertainment: The Trafalgar Centre, Nelson’s largest venue. Some events are planned to be at other sites but registration, and most of the evening food and entertainment will be there, plus some of the rallies may start from there.
Wednesday Night Public Display: Buxton and Montgomery carparks in Nelson CBD.
Saturday Public Display and Teams Relay Challenge: Richmond Park A & P Association Grounds / Richmond Park Showgrounds – Lower Queen Street Richmond.
Nelson Branch VCC clubrooms: Nelson Speedway, Lower Queen Street, Richmond.
The Nelson Tasman Regional Development Agency website is the single best place to start: www.nelsontasman.nz
The Rules
Click here for the rules in full.
Eligibility
If your vehicle is Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Inc. (VCC) eligible i.e. more than 30 years old, then it is eligible. Click here for more detail:
You do need to get a Vehicle Identity Card (VIC) though as this is a ‘national’ event. This is a very straight forward process that one of your branch members will be able to walk you through – if not, get in touch with VCC head office. There’s a form to fill out, an inspection to check details and then several weeks later a certificate and a window sticker arrive in the mail.
Please make sure your application is underway before the start of 2026. VICs last ten years. If you’re bringing a car from overseas there are a few extra hoops to jump through and/or alternatives (see the FAQ below). The entrant must be a VCC member or member of an associated (FIVA) club (see FAQ below).
From the VCC website: “A Vehicle Identification Card (VIC) is issued for club eligible registered and unregistered special purpose vehicles, and demonstrates to Vintage Car Club members, vehicle inspection authorities, and the public at large, that the vehicle is correctly described, and has the correct major components (engine, chassis etc) for that make and year.
A vehicle entered into any national rally or speed event must hold a current VIC (vehicle identity card), some branches also require a current VIC for local events. This scheme is administered by our National Office through your local branch.”
Entrants need to be members of the organising club (VCC) or Overseas residents who are members of any Veteran, Vintage, Classic, Antique or One Make Club or Register recognised by the organising club. The entrant must be either the driver, navigator, or passenger of the vehicle entered. Participants other than the entrants don’t need to be club members.
Click here for how to join the VCC
All vehicles eligible for the festival are eligible for the Teams Relay Challenge and the bigger variety we get entered the more fun it will be.
Click here to read more about the Teams Relay Challenge.
You can attend without a vehicle and we’ll do our best to put you in touch with people happy to have extra passengers but can’t guarantee a result. Select the “I do not intend to bring a vehicle” option when registering.
If you would like to borrow a vehicle in order to attend please contact the festival secretary with a resume of your experience and what type of vehicle you would prefer. We will do our best to put you in touch with someone willing to loan you a vehicle but cannot make any guarantees.
Absolutely, but there are a few hoops to jump through. We suggest you get in touch with a company like Auto Restorations (VCC President George Kear is COO) and engage them to guide you through the process. Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, has some information here.
For overseas owners importing vehicles to attend this event that do not have a FIVA Identity Card or VIC for their vehicle, the owner will need to apply for a temporary VIC from the VCC Registrar. It will be preferable to apply for a FIVA Identity Card in your country prior to attending the event. Click here for more information.
VCC of NZ Inc. – Registrar
Neil Beckenham
Phone: +64 21 588 536
Email: registrar@vcc.org.nz
Yes you can change which vehicle you choose to bring to the festival. It will need to be eligible to participate in the festival (see above) and you will need to update the vehicle details preferably online by clicking Manage Order on your ticket email and then selecting Edit on the Main Entrant ticket field. Alternatively you can email the Festival Secretary at festivalsecretary@vcc.org.nz.
We will be using these details for the vehicle and entrant list in the rally booklet and there will be a cut-off date for inclusion in the booklet. We will inform entrants prior to the cut-off date so you can insure that the correct details are in the booklet.
In the event of unforeseen issues requiring a vehicle change after the cut-off date or during the festival please inform the Festival Secretary at festivalsecretary@vcc.org.nz.
Rallies
On most rally days there are 4 route length options and at the very least 2 options. The shortest route each day has been designed by owners of veteran vehicles to suit small 1 and 2 cylinder veteran vehicles best. Rally Route instructions including mileages will be provided in the Rally Pack. You do not have to choose any runs when you register. You can decide which run to do on the day from the descriptions and distances provided for each run. You can mix & match the runs too – for example long out & short home. You can see more detail here.
Yes. Each rally day has a short option that is designed to cater to veteran and two wheel braked vehicles. Our rally design team all have experience owning and driving Veteran vehicles and we have designed the routes based on feedback from previous events.
Rolling starts over a reasonable time span will be used each rally day either at the Trafalgar Center Rally HQ in Nelson or the Nelson VCC Rooms in Richmond. This is the best way for us to manage traffic flows and help reduce wait times. There will be detail in your rally packs on how to start each rally route.
Yourselves, your car, any tools and spares you think you might need snacks and lunch (if you haven’t pre purchased lunch) and a sense of fun and adventure. Nelson has a temperate coastal climate so pack clothing to cope with sudden weather changes. Southerly flows generally means calm and cooler weather and Northerly flows can bring warmer temperatures and rain. Four seasons in one day don’t happen often but are very much possible, like most spots in New Zealand.
We have endeavoured to have all vehicles together at each lunch stop, on some of the days this won’t be possible for the small 1 & 2 cylinder Veterans as its likely to be too long and the hills too difficult, so we have an interesting spot for their lunch. Each days run instructions will include a run out to lunch and home again.
Entrants will have the option to pre-order packed lunches for everyone in your vehicle. Lunch pre-orders will open after registrations have closed in late 2025.
Lunch stop locations will be made public so that locals can see the amazing cars taking part in the rallies up close.
To cater for all entrants several of the runs will contain options for gravel roads with sealed road alternatives so you have the choice whether or not to drive gravel roads.
There are no competitive parts or sections to any of the rally runs. If you are interested in this type of event please refer to the Teams Relay Challenge page.
A change of programme may occur if deemed necessary by the Committee. Events such as road closures, accidents or extreme weather might mean we need to alter routes at short notice. We will let all entrants know via email if there is time and/or at the rally start.
Teams Relay Challenge
The Teams Relay Challenge is a four hour relay event with up to ten teams of 30 cars. Speeds are limited (this is not a competitive speed event) and it is held on a closed, grass circuit. Teams compete by completing as many laps as possible within the time frame and completing challenges during pit stops. There will be up to 3 cars per team on the track at once. The challenge has been designed to accommodate a wide range of ages, physical abilities, and all club eligible vehicles. Click here for more information.
In depth rules will be included in the event guidebook but they will be kept as simple as possible. Click here for more information.
The challenge itself will be run over a four hour period. There will be a few hours all up before and after the event where teams will arrive, have a chance to meet and organise, and later leave the venue.
Risks at this event should be no higher than driving on the road, except you will be driving with people you know also don’t want damage to their vehicles. Rules of the road will apply. Please do check your insurance cover to ensure that this sort of event is covered. If not, consider Vero’s special VCC insurance cover here.
The challenge organisers will form the teams with an eye to balancing out types of vehicles across the event. You do not need to form your own team. If you are interested in being a team manager please get in touch with the challenge organiser at:
Rob Thompson
Teams Relay Challenge
Phone: 027 5475120
Email: rob.karen@slingshot.co.nz
Food
When lunch pre-orders and tickets for evening meals go on sale in late 2025 we will ask for your dietary requirements. We need to know these at this point in order to cater for you. Our caterers are confident they can cater for most dietary needs.
We’ll have an in-depth explanation of what you can expect for pre-sale packed lunches when we open up orders for them in late 2025 after registrations close. Packed lunches supplied by us need to be pre-ordered at least three weeks before the festival – we will not be selling them during the festival. This is in order to reduce waste and cost to festival participants.
We’ll have an in-depth explanation of what you can expect for evening meals, including the Grand Finale meals, when we open up ticket sales for them in late 2025 after registrations close. Evening meal tickets need to be pre-purchased at least three weeks before the festival – we will not be selling them during the festival. This is in order to reduce waste and cost to festival participants.
The challenge organisers will form the teams with an eye to balancing out types of vehicles across the event. You do not need to form your own team. If you are interested in being a team manager please get in touch with the challenge organiser at:
Rob Thompson
Teams Relay Challenge
Phone: 027 5475120
Email: rob.karen@slingshot.co.nz
Entertainment
Each evening we will have entertainment from very talented local performers. See the event overview page for a brief description.
Entertainment is open for all festival participants to enjoy each night regardless of whether you have purchased a meal ticket excepting the Saturday night Grand Finale dinner which is only open to ticket holders.
Accommodation
Nothing is very far away in the Nelson Tasman region but you might want to think about staying close to one of the key locations for the festival (see FAQ above under When and Where?). Rallies start from the Trafalgar Centre in Nelson or the VCC clubrooms in Richmond. Evening meals and entertainment are all centred in Nelson at the Trafalgar Centre or in the CBD. See our accommodation page for more info.
A number of local accommodation providers have offers for festival participants. See our accommodation page for more info.
Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park are able to help with security monitored trailer and tow vehicle storage. A couple of their camp site zones will be closed for winter so those sites will be available for trailer storage. The standard storage rate is $20 a week per vehicle, less the 15% discount would be $17 for the week.
There are a number of great places for tent, caravan, or camper camping in Nelson. The most central campground for the festival is the Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park. Click here for an accommodation deal at the Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park or here for more information on Nelson Tasman Campgrounds.
The New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Inc. (NZMCA) has informed us that members should refer to the NZMCA app for information about local NZMCA parking.
Registration
In order to streamline the registration process and reduce costs we have moved to an online registration platform – Humanitix. Simply click on the link at the bottom of any page or go to the registration page to begin the process. On the registration page you will find a list of the things you will need in order to register. You will need to complete the registration by paying either with a credit card or via online banking.
Humanitix is our chosen ticketing provider for this event. From their website: “Tickets for good, not greed. Hassle-free event ticketing that puts humanity first. At Humanitix, we dedicate 100% of profits from booking fees to charity.”
Click here for more details.
Up until the close off date you can use the “Manage Order” in your ticketing email to change details of your order, including what vehicle you are bringing. Extra tickets will need to be purchased separately.
Registrations will close on 31 August 2025. Registrations submitted after 31 August 2025 must be accompanied by a late fee of NZ $200 in addition to the registration fee. Registrations will not be accepted after 30th November 2025. Fees stated are GST inclusive. The organisers have the right to decline any entry. Click here for full details see the event regulations.
Should any entrant wish to cancel their registration prior to November 30th 2025 they can notify the Festival Secretary in writing – festivalsecretary@vcc.org.nz
Refunds will only be made on the following basis:
– Full refund, less cancellation fee of NZ$50 if notice is received by 30th September 2025;
– 50% refund, less cancellation fee of NZ$50 if notice is received by 30th November 2025.
– No refunds will be made after 30th November 2025, except in exceptional circumstances and at the absolute discretion of the organising committee. For full details see the event regulations page.
We can accept registrations offline in limited numbers. While paper/offline registration is possible it can take longer to process therefore please be aware of deadline dates. We suggest an alternative is to get a friend to assist you to register online. Payment via paper/offline registration can only be accepted via bank transfer. Registrations will not be complete until all compulsory information has been submitted and payment has been received in full and processed by us. If limited numbers options close before your registration is complete you may miss out on those options.
Our mailing address for requesting paper/offline registrations is:
VERO International Festival of Historic Motoring
PO Box 3358
Richmond 7050
Nelson
For full details see the event regulations page.
other questions
We don’t have any plans to organise reunions but there will be multiple opportunities for people to get together, especially in the evenings and on Saturday during the public display. We’re happy to notify participants of any plans to reunite and pass on the organisers’ details. Contact the festival secretary with your plans.
We don’t have any plans to organise specific make or model gatherings, in part because the festival is specifically design to mix all makes, models, and styles.
View our past newsletters by clicking here.
There are no rallies organised by the festival before or after the event. We are happy to consider publicising any rallies organised to precede or follow the Vero. We will need a key contact to publish for those interested in your rally. Contact the festival secretary with your plans.
We have a great range of souvenirs in our online shop. These will be available to pick up at the festival after you purchase online before the cut off date (timing to be confirmed).
We are unlikely to have stock to sell during the festival but we plan to keep the online
shop open for approximately two weeks after the festival so that you can order items to be delivered to you after the festival. These items will incur shipping charges. This is in order to reduce waste and cost for participants. Click here to visit the merchandise store.
contacts
Festival Director: Ray Robertson – festivaldirector@vcc.org.nz
Festival Secretary: Karen Thompson – festivalsecretary@vcc.org.nz
Festival Treasurer: Simon Linstone – festivaltreasurer@vcc.org.nz
Festival Rally Controllers: Jim & Kyra Wareing – festivalrallycontroller@vcc.org.nz
Festival Communications and Marketing: Mike Wilson – festivalcomms@vcc.org.nz
VERO International Festival of Historic Motoring
PO Box 3358
Richmond 7050
Nelson