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I was advised that having run flat tyres on the front and normal tyres on the rear would result in my having a renewel WOF rejected.
I purchased the car as an import from a dealership in Auckland and it was given a valid WOF (12 months ago).
Two sets of questions:
1. Is the assertion that a new WOF would be rejected correct?
2. Have I been driving an illegal and unsafe car for over a year and would I have been liable if I had had an accident which could be attributed to the tyre mismatch? And what effect would there have been with my insurance company (AA in my case)?

Hi there,
It depends on the vehicle registration year with regards to the wof rule, and it can often be misinterpreted which is why it could easily slip through a wof.
The NZTA Virm states a fail if: 2. All the tyres on a vehicle class MA, MB, MD1 or NA that was first registered or re-registered in New Zealand from 1 October 2002, other than vehicles that are incapable of exceeding 30km/h or are 30 years old or more, are not of the same carcass type (ie mixed steel ply, fabric radial ply, bias/cross ply, run-flat).
So yes a wof should be rejected if the tyres are mismatched using run-flats.
It is very difficult to ascertain the safety or accident implications, but if the vehicle is not found to be up to wof standards in a serious accident, then this could be a reason for an insurance claim rejection.