Keyte Automotive

27/10/2026

WOF changes are coming on 1 November 2026 🚗

Here’s what’s changing for light vehicles (cars, SUVs, utes and vans under 3.5 tonnes):
🆕 New vehicles: second WOF due at 4 years (was 3)
🚙 4–14 years old: WOF every 2 years (was annual) - The start date of this change is dependent on when your vehicle was registered -
▪️ Registered from 1 Nov 2019: starts 1 Nov 2026
▪️ Registered 1 Nov 2013 – 31 Oct 2019: starts 1 Nov 2027
🚘 14–26 years old: no change, still annual
🏁 Over 26 years old (registered before 2000): annual WOF (was 6-monthly)

Your vehicle still needs to meet the same safety standards at all times, so regular servicing matters more than ever with fewer WOF inspections.

12/10/2026

Matt and son Tom – Then….and now --
The toys are bigger; the problem-solving didn’t change!
23 years between these photos, and these days Tom’s one of our technicians.

08/10/2026

Good advice from the MTA - Space-saver spares are only a short-term fix, so take it easy, keep under 80 km/h, and bring it straight to us at Keyte Automotive. We’ll have you back on a proper tyre in no time.

Flat tyre on the side of the road? If you own a vehicle with a space-saver spare, it comes with a few golden rules... 🛞⚠️

If you ever need to swap to your space-saver in an emergency:

🅿️ Park safe: Pull onto flat ground, pop on your hazard lights and pull the handbrake up tight before setting up the jack.

🔧 Swap it over: Loosen the wheel nuts slightly before jacking up the car, swap the wheel and fully tighten the nuts once back on the ground.

⚠️ Watch the limits: Never drive faster than 80 km/h and keep the distance to a minimum.

🛠️ Head straight to a pro: Space-savers are strictly temporary – drive straight to an MTA workshop for a proper tyre repair or replacement!

Save this post so you’re prepared next time flat-tyre trouble hits ✔️
And to easily find a member, visit mta.org.nz/find-members

24/09/2026

A huge community thank you to the Rabobank Good Deeds team

On Friday 18 September, the Te Miro Settlers Hall was lucky enough to host 30 Rabobank staff and the team from The Country radio show for a working bee — part of the Rabobank Good Deeds Community Hub competition, which the hall won along with $10,000 — enough to cover two new heat pumps as well as materials for the day.

What a day it was. Sleeves were rolled up to plant native trees, build and paint fences, replace patio roofing, wash the hall and tennis courts, repair and paint the playground, and tackle loads of other much-needed maintenance.

Once again, massive thanks to Rabobank and local volunteers who gave their time and energy to make this project come together.

Listen to Matt Keyte talk to Jamie McKay about the day
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-country-18-09-26-matt-keyte-talks-to-jamie-mackay/id1305527677?i=1000790429103

14/09/2026

2003: 77,000km. Today: 473,000km.
1995 Isuzu Bighorn in the workshop recently for a WOF & oil change. We’ve been servicing this vehicle for 23 years and nearly 400,000km. Shows the benefit of regular maintenance and having an owner who’s looked after it!

01/09/2026

It's the first day of spring 🌞
Winter's hard on a car — wet roads, cold starts, and frost on the windscreen most mornings. Before the summer weekends and road trips get underway, it's worth a quick once-over.
Tyres, brakes, wipers and battery are where we'd start. Give us a call on 827-8634 or email [email protected] to get your vehicle checked over.

17/08/2026

Now and then we get a beauty coming through the workshop, like these two we did WOFs on recently.

24/07/2026

25/06/2026

Patrick Dillon is trialling a new hat as part of the uniform - we’re thinking 1/10 for warmth but we’ll give him style points 😆