Skip to main content

Story: Cars and the motor industry

Love of cars

Image
Love of cars

New Zealanders’ love affair with the internal combustion engine is shared by this suburban household. In the early 2000s there were about 60 cars for every 100 people in New Zealand.

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Emily Tutaki

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Eric Pawson, Cars and the motor industry – A motorised society, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22831/love-of-cars (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eric Pawson, published 2 March 2010, updated 1 December 2014.