Tesla self-driving is now in NZ, what does this mean?

Thursday, 18 September 2025

Tesla has announced its Full Self-Driving service has now been activated in New Zealand and Australia, the first right-hand driving countries in the world where it has done so.

Tesla has announced its Full Self-Driving (FSD) service has now been activated in New Zealand and Australia, the first right-hand driving countries in the world with this option.

The service is already available in the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

So, what is Self-Driving (Supervised), how safe is it, and what can and can’t you do?

What is Self-Driving (Supervised)?

According to Tesla, Self-Driving (Supervised) uses cameras and advanced software to accelerate, brake, steer and navigate traffic all on its own, without the driver having to touch the wheel.

It is available for Tesla models 3 and Y, equipped with Hardware 4, delivered via over-the-air updates.

Once a destination is set in the satnav, the car attempts to handle the full journey using cameras mounted on the vehicle.

While some countries have adopted fully self-driving cars, in New Zealand Tesla’s Self-Driving (Supervised) requires a fully attentive driver at all times.

Tesla says it will introduce a subscription model for the service, for $159 a month.

Is this even legal?

While some countries have adopted fully self-driving cars, this is not the case here. Tesla has released Self-Driving (Supervised) in NZ, which requires a fully attentive driver at all times, as required by NZ law.

According to the Ministry of Transport, fully autonomous vehicles were not a consideration when current transport legislation was drafted.

Under the legislation a driver does not need to be present for a vehicle to be legally operated on a public road in New Zealand. However, most regulations and relevant international frameworks strongly imply that when a vehicle is in operation, it has a driver.

Tesla told Autotalk that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is not a feature that makes vehicles autonomous. Rather, it is classified as a Level 2 driver-assist system, meaning the driver must remain in control and is legally responsible at all times.

How safe is it?

Drivers are monitored through a cabin camera that cannot be removed.

While drivers do not need to have their hands on the steering wheel for the self-driving feature to function, the driver is monitored through a cabin camera that cannot be removed.

According to Autotalk, if the system cannot clearly see the driver’s hands and arms, the touchscreen in the car will display reminders. If the driver repeatedly looks away from the road, they will receive escalating warnings. If this keeps happening, the feature will be disabled for the rest of the journey.

When FSD (Supervised) is engaged, Tesla, according to its website, says the car is 54% safer than a human driver.

According to Autotalk: “On motorways, the car merged cleanly and maintained pace with other vehicles. In urban areas it recognised scooters, pedestrians and traffic wardens, though vague hand signals prompted one manual intervention.”

CORRECTION: This article has been edited to describe accurately the systems of the FSD (Supervised) system.