Vehicle registration plates of New Zealand

In New Zealand, vehicle registration plates (usually called number plates) contain up to six alphanumeric characters, depending on the type of vehicle and the date of registration. To be operated on (or parked on) any public road, most types of motor vehicles and trailers must be registered and display the corresponding registration plate(s). One plate must be affixed to the rear of the vehicle, and except in the case of a motorcycle, moped, tractor, or trailer, a second plate must be affixed to the front of the vehicle.

If the visibility of a regular number plate is obstructed, for example by a bike rack mounted to a car's trailer hitch, a supplementary plate with the same registration number must be obtained and affixed to the obstruction (or the vehicle) such that it will be visible from the same direction as the regular number plate would have been.

Standard numbering sequences
A vehicle registration plate of New Zealand in the optional 'Europlate' style

Cars and heavy vehicles

Private cars, taxis, and heavier road vehicles in New Zealand have number plates with up to six characters. From 1964 until March 2001 these number plates had two letters followed by one to four numbers (format LLnnnn), the sequence having started with AA1 and continuing through to ZZ9989 chronologically (for example, XE3782 would have been issued in 1998). An observer could therefore ascertain the approximate date of first registration of a vehicle by means of the number plate.

By the end of 2000 this system had reached the end of the alphabet ("ZZ"). The series officially ended with plate ZZ9989 – the sequence ZZ9990 to ZZ9999 had appeared as personalised plates years earlier. A new system began in April 2001, with three letters (starting with "AAA") followed by three numbers (format LLLnnn), with nnn starting at 100. Land Transport New Zealand also issued AAA100 to AAA103 as personalised plates, officially meaning that the first plate in the new series read AAA104.

Starting with "CEA", the number ranges started with 1, as in the old system. The authorities issued this series according to the first two letters — the third letter and numbers did not necessarily get issued in sequence.

Unlike in many countries, observers cannot normally identify a location of registration by simply looking at the number plate. One exception to this rule occurred when LLnnnn plates first appeared in 1964: most plates went to the regions in batches, starting with the "AA" series in Southland and moving progressively north. For some time one could reasonably infer that an "AF" plate hailed from Dunedin, an "AI" plate from South Canterbury, and so on. In some later instances issuers coded plates to the area of registration, such as in 1966 with the allocation of plates beginning with "CE" to the Manawatu-Wanganui region, in 1974–1976 with the allocation of plates beginning with "HB" to the Hawke's Bay region, in May 1989 with the allocation of plates beginning with "OG" to Wellington region, and in July 2000 with the allocation of plates beginning with "ZI" to Auckland region.

Motorcycles and tractors

These vehicles use one of several five-character systems. Since 2009 the system has consisted of one letter, followed by one number followed by three letters; for example A2ATL.

The previous system consisted of one or two numbers followed by three letters. The system incremented the number sequence first, so after plate 12ABC came 13ABC, and 99ABC preceded 1ABD. In July 2009, these plates had reached the "ZUU" range.

Caravans and trailers

As of 2020, caravan and trailer number plates have the format nnLnn (e.g. 10A12). This format was introduced in mid 2018. Before then, these plates had the format nLnnn (e.g. 1A123), launched in 2014, prior to that was LnnnL (e.g. A123A), reaching N881S by July 2009. Also, silver-on-black plates can have trailers with motorcycle plates before the "RNA" range in 1990. Two older formats are the Lnnnn format and the nnnnL format which were still shown on black-on-white plates (e.g. 6176M, P8317). Some silver-on-black plates had this format with nnnnI (e.g. 5727I), and some black-on-white plates issued in 2002 have the format nnnAL (excluding W, Y and Z as the second letter) (e.g. 123AB), in preparation of the new LnnnL format launched later that year.

History
1926 national number plate
Old New Zealand silver-on-black plate, issued in 1973
Current New Zealand black-on-white plate, issued in 2006

Before 1925 vehicle registration took place on a regional rather than on a country-wide basis. Vehicles displayed their registration numbers on the right-hand side of the vehicle, often painted on. From 1925, the authorities issued steel plates to vehicle-owners annually. The first plates were United States-made green with white numbers prefixed with NZ (nnn-nnn).[1] The 1926/27 year was black with white numbers with the following plates black with orange numbers (nnn*nnn).[2] This system changed when steel supplies became limited during World War II: from 1941 plates remained valid for 5 years.

Issuance of permanent registration plates commenced in 1964. These new plates were made of aluminium and had silver serials on a black background. Serials consisted of two letters and up to four numbers, and were issued sequentially, the first serial being AA100. Certain two-letter series were banned or reserved for government or diplomatic use, while use of the letter V was discontinued after 1971 and, later, Q was not used as the first letter (see Notes/Exceptions below).

In November 1986, the plate design officially changed to black serials on a reflectorised white background, following a trial run some weeks earlier. The first official plate of this design had the serial MX100. Silver-on-black plates remain valid and in use, and it is possible to buy a pre-1987 used car with such plates, as vehicle owners in New Zealand do not have to change plates when ownership of a vehicle changes. However, black-on-white plates may be used to replace silver-on-black plates that are irreparably damaged.

The serial font initially remained unchanged following the design change. In mid-1990, a slash was added to the zero character; the first plate to feature a slashed zero had the serial PC10.

Plates used sans-serif lettering until the start of the letter codes beginning "DFN" (March 2006), since when plates have used a heavier, partially serifed font, squarer and thicker-lined. The authorities introduced the new font in order to foil attempts to cut out letters and put them back in upside-down when forging license plates.

Design

Later plates with a white background may feature a holographic pattern on the white field, observed from the XD series of serials onwards. This design, visible only from certain angles and under appropriate lighting conditions, displays strips of silver roundels with a stylised silver fern pattern in silhouette.

Most plates come in rectangular form with all the characters of the serial on a single horizontal line. Plates for motorcycles may split the serial between two horizontal lines, or may be a smaller version of the car plate. Plates on the front mudguards of motorcycles can take the overall form of an arc, although this form is no longer issued.

Notes/exceptions

The registration system avoids several combinations of letters.

In the two-letter serial format, use of the letter V was discontinued following the FV series in 1971, as it could be easily confused with the letter U. The letter Q was not used as the first letter (the RA series thus followed the PZ series in 1991), although it was used as the second letter.

The MN series was skipped in 1985 as it was reserved for the Cook Islands. Other two-letter series skipped include BO, FA, FO, FU, II, and IO.

From late 1996 until the end of the two-letter format in April 2001, each series (with three exceptions) started from 1000 instead of from 1, meaning that serials were strictly six characters in length. The UR series was the first such series; the three exceptions were the WS, WT and WU series. The strict use of six-character serials continued into the three-letter format, with each series starting from 100, up to and including the CDZ series in 2004.

The LLnnnn system deliberately reserved plates starting with the combinations "CC", "DC" and "FC" for diplomatic vehicles, DC plates are registered to vehicles owned by foreign embassies and high commissions in Wellington, CC plates are registered to vehicles owned by foreign consulates in Auckland and Christchurch, FC plates are registered to vehicles owned by foreign ambassadors and their family members. Mayoral and ministerial vehicles used the prefix "CR" (CRown). The Prime Minister receives plate CR1[3] while the plate DC1 is reserved for the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.

As the official representative of the Monarch in New Zealand, the Governor General's primary vehicle carries no number plate but instead displays the royal crown. It is the only standard car permitted to operate on New Zealand roads without a number plate. However, in the NZTA System, the combination "CROWN" is used, and was issued in 1986, predating all other personalised plates by two years.

Since the change to the LLLnnn format, the letters I, O and X have appeared only on plates starting with "AAI", "AAO", and "AAX" respectively; presumably the potential for confusing these letters with numbers and other similar looking letters was only realised after those initial series. Current plates eschew the letters I, O, V, and X.

A number of three-letter combinations have been skipped, mainly to avoid offence. These include: ARS, ASS, BAD, BAG, BAT, BRA, BUM, BUT, CNT, CUM, CUN, DUM, FAG, FAK, FAT, FCK, FKN, FKQ, FKU, FQM, FQN, FUC, FUK, FUQ, FUZ, HAG, JAP, JEW, KFC, KGB, KKK, KLL, KNT, KUM, LSD, and NAZ. Despite negative connotations, the FTP and GAY combinations were issued during 2011.[4][5]

Some MG models featured plates with serials in the MG series, used as semi-personalised plates, in advance of the official MG release. The full BMW series has been bought up by BMW dealers for similar use, while some Hyundai and Kia cars feature plates with serials in the HYU and KIA series respectively.

Serials in the CCC and DCC series have been reserved, presumably for diplomatic vehicles. The combinations EBA, FCC, FNA-FNZ, G(A-H)A, and MMM were excluded for as yet unknown reasons.

Car-dealers use a separate temporary series of yellow-coloured plates. These use one of several combinations of letters and numbers, most often a letter X followed by up to 4 digits. Originally black, these plates later became yellow in colour.

In May 2019 after the Christchurch mosque shootings, the NZTA offered to replace any plates with the prefix "GUN" (issued in 2013) on request, although they were not withdrawn.[6]

[7]

Plate series with approximate year issued
1964-1969 Series AA to EZ were issued between 1964 and 1969 not just to new vehicles but also to replace all pre-permanent plates registered at the time; they were not necessarily issued in sequence.
1969 FB FD FE
1970 FF FG FH FI FJ FK FL FM
1971 FN FP FQ FR FS FT FV FW
1972 FX FY FZ GA GB GC GD GE GF GH GJ
1973 GG GI GK GL GM GN GO GP GQ GR GS GT GU GX GY
1974 GW GZ HA HC HD HE HF HG HH HJ HK
1975 HB HI HL HM HN HR HS HT HU
1976 HO HP HQ HW HX HY HZ IA IB IC ID IF IH IJ
1977 IE IG IK IL IM IN IP IR
1978 IQ IS IT IU IW IX IY IZ JA JB
1979 JC JD JE JF JG JI JJ JT
1980 JH JK JL JM JN JO JP JQ JR JS JU JW JX
1981 JY JZ KA KB KC KD KE KF KG KH KI KL
1982 KJ KK KM KN KO KP KQ KR KS KT KY
1983 KU KW KX KZ LA LB LC LD LE LF LG LH LI LJ LK LL LM LN
1984/85 LO LP LQ LR LS LT LU LW LX LY LZ MA MB MC MD ME MF MG MH MJ MK
1985/86 MI ML MM MO MP MQ MR MS MT MU MW MX MY MZ NE NG
1987 NA NB NC ND NF NH NI NJ NK NL NM NN NP
1988 NO NQ NR NS NT NU NW NX NY NZ OA OB
1989 OC-OQ, OS
1990 OR, OT-OU, OW-PL, PO
1991 PM-PN, PP-PU, PW-PZ, RA-RD
1992 RE-RR, RT
1993 RS, RU, RW-SF
1994 SG-SU, SW-TA
1995 TB-TT, TW-TX
1996 TU, TY-UT
1997 UU, UW-UZ, WA-WS
1998 WT-WU, WW-XQ
1999 XR-XU, XW-YS
2000 YT-YU, YW-ZU
2001 ZW-ZZ; AAA-AHZ, AJA-AKK
2002 AKL-ANZ, APA-ARR, ART-ASR, AST-AUZ, AWA-AWZ, AYA-BAC, BAE-BAF, BAH-BAK
2003 BAL-BAS, BAU-BHZ, BJA-BNZ, BPA-BQZ, BRB-BSS
2004 BST-BUL, BUN-BUS, BUU-BUZ, BWA-BWZ, BYA-CHZ, CJA-CKY
2005 CKZ-CNS, CNU-CNZ, CPA-CUL, CUP-CUZ, CWA-CWZ, CYA-DCZ
2006 DDA-DHZ, DJA-DNZ, DPA-DRG
2007 DRH-DUL, DUN-DUZ, DWA-DWZ, DYA-EAZ, EBB-EHC
2008 EHD-EHZ, EJA-ENZ, EPA-EUE
2009 EUF-EUZ, EWA-EWZ, EYA-FAF, FAH-FAJ, FAL-FAS, FAU-FCB, FCD-FCJ, FCL-FFZ
2010 FGA-FHZ, FJA-FKM, FKP, FKR-FKT, FKW-FMZ, FPA-FQL, FQP-FSZ
2011 FTA-FUB, FUD-FUJ, FUL-FUP, FUR-FUY, FWA-FWZ, FYA-FZZ, GAB-GAZ, GBB-GBZ, GCB-GCZ, GDB-GDZ, GEB-GEK
2012 GEL-GEZ, GFB-GFZ, GGB-GGZ, GHB-GHZ, GJA-GNZ, GPA-GRN
2013 GRP-GUZ, GWA-GWZ, GYA-HAF, HAH-HFE
2014 HFF-HHZ, HJA-HNZ, HPA-HUZ, HWA-HWR
2015 HWS-HWZ, HYA-HZZ, JAA-JAN, JAQ-JEU, JEY-JHZ, JJA-JNR
2016 JNS-JNZ, JPA-JUZ, JWA-JWZ, JYA-KFB, KFD-KGA, KGC-KHG
2017 KHH-KHZ, KJA-KKJ, KKL-KLK, KLM-KNS, KNU-KNZ, KPA-KUL, KUN-KUZ, KWA-KWZ, KYA-LDB
2018 LDC-LHZ, LJA-LNZ, LPA-LSC, LSE-LUZ, LWA-LWZ, LYA-LYD
2019 LYE-MHZ, MJA-MML, MMN-MNZ, MPA-MQP
2020 MQQ-MUZ, MWA-MWZ, MYA-NAY, NBA-NFT
2021 NFU-NHZ, NJA-NNZ, NPA-NUZ, NWA-NWZ, NYA-NZZ

Commemorative plates

In general, numbers in the systems do not have leading zeroes, starting with 1000 in the LLnnnn system and 100 and later 1 in the LLLnnn system. A commemorative series of plates celebrating New Zealand's national rugby union team, the All Blacks, follows the LLnnnn system but with a leading zero after the letters "AB" (for "All Blacks"), giving them the format "AB0nnn".

In 1990 a special series of commemorative plates marked the country's sesquicentenary. These had the format nnnnNZ, with the lettering in red on white.

Personalised plates

Rights to unique combinations of up to six characters can be purchased from a private company licensed by the NZ Transport Agency. The purchaser may acquire any unique combination that falls outside the standard numbering sequences (apart from derogatory, obscene, profane or intentionally confusing combinations, or if they promote violence, discrimination or bias[8]) or standard numbers that have fallen into disuse. New Zealand does not require associating the plate with a vehicle, and allows outright sale rather than just a periodic lease.

Although plate character/number combinations can contain "spaces", they do not form part of the unique identification and are typically not stored (for example, in Police computer-systems). Therefore, if a personalised plate such as "I A I" exists an owner cannot purchase a combination such as "IAI", and vice versa.

The most sought-after combinations available as personalised plates (such as "A1" or "AAAAAA") became special "collector plates", with lettering in blue on white. These plates are often offered for sale at a significant premium to standard plates.[9]

In 2017 a number of proposed personalised plates (including OR6ASM, FK8R and 4UHOES) were rejected by the NZTA.[10]

As of 2021 prospective buyers can order a personalised set of plates as:[11]

  • Standard Colour Plates in various colours including; black, cyan, gold, green, orange, pink, purple, red & silver. (Text Colours black, blue, red)
  • American Plates, featuring the design of the US flag and a message on standard plates. Slimline plates of this category are also available.
  • Kiwi Colour Plates that feature the signature New Zealand fern available in colours including; black, cyan, gold, green, orange, pink, purple, red & silver.
  • Kiwi Slim, a slimmed down version of Kiwi Colour Plates available in colours including; black, cyan, gold, green, orange, pink, purple, red & silver.
  • Camouflage Plates, available with blue, green & pink camouflage print.
  • Tough Plates, featuring graphic Grille & Checker Plate designs.
  • European Slim Plates, the slimline versions of the European Plates, available in black, blue, gold and silver.
  • European Plates, elongated to fit the recess of European cars, these plates are available in navy, black, gold & silver.
  • Heritage Plates, featuring native Maori designs, available in black & red.
  • Team Plates, containing imagery of the team supporting with the plate on the car, available in a All Blacks design.
  • Chic Plates, featuring glam lace graphics. Available in black, gold, pink, purple, red & silver.
  • Message Plates, where customers can place any text at the top or bottom of the plates.
  • Hashtag Plates, featuring the # tag design, Available in Pink, Blue, Gold, Black, Red.
  • Japanese Plates, featuring the 日本337 or 日本511 design, Available in Black, Green, White.

Special issues of personalised plates include 'I Love Plates' which was available from 1 February to 12 March 2018 and 1 February to 17 March 2019.

Number-plate accessories

A number of companies provide alternatives to the standard message plate. Number-plate frames attach to the plate and provide space for messages above and/or below the license number, thus potentially perpetrating advertising. Several Maori iwi promote identity and traditional graphic designs in frames.

Number-plate lookup systems

Section 236[12] and 237[13] of the Land Transport Act 1998 (LTA)[14] allows public access to the Motor Vehicle Register[15] maintained by the NZ Transport Agency. The Motor Vehicle Register records information about vehicles used on New Zealand roads and the persons responsible for their use. The information from the Register can be sourced directly from the NZTA as well as from third parties who include the information with their vehicle information reports.

Services available

Services provided directly by the New Zealand Transport Agency are listed on the official website

Stolen vehicle check

Run by the police this allows the public to check whether a vehicle has been reported stolen.

Basic vehicle information

Multiple vehicle report providers allow to check basic vehicle information free of charge by entering the registration plate number.

Owner confirmation

Although the personal information of vehicle owners is not available to the public,[13] the ownership can generally be confirmed by entering the name or driver's license number of the owner. Some of the vehicle report providers (including CarJam, Checka, That Car) allow to confirm the owner free of charge.

Securities check

Before purchasing a vehicle, buyers can conduct a search of the Personal Property Securities Register to ensure there is no money owing on it.

Automotive parts ordering

Most vehicle manufactures attach a VIN to their vehicles for identification purposes. This can be used to identify a vehicle's particular characteristics for parts ordering and fluid type during maintenance. A License Plate Lookup returns the vehicle's VIN and other data, removing the need for a tradesman to physically locate and record this 17-digit code.

Problem with Japanese imports

With the influx of Japanese Import vehicles VINs were being attached at the NZ border and not by the manufacturer. As a result, much of the information contained in the VIN for parts purchasing purposes is absent[16] and many vehicles still require a tradesperson to physically identify a particular chassis and engine type. VINs attached at the NZ border start with the characters 7A.

One solution adopted by companies such as Repco and PartMaster to identify vehicle characteristics without using a manufacturer's VIN is with an algorithm that analyses other data on the Motor Vehicle Register. The problems include data inconsistencies and prohibitive laws that restrict data analysis of the Register. As a result, the majority of these part lookup systems have been restricted for use by an experienced tradesperson.

Part finding without a tradesman

Goodyear incorporated a licence plate lookup system into its NZ website to suggest the correct tyre for a vehicle, although inspection, specialised equipment and a tradesman will always be required when changing tyres.

Programming interface

As well as purchasing this information from the NZTA through its official supplier Motochek, several companies offer automated access to their vehicle record cache on a cost per vehicle basis. This has reduced the purchase cost of the information and allows businesses to develop their own license plate lookup systems. The companies that currently offer interfaces include MotorWeb, CarJam and Checka.

Land Transport Act vs Official Information Act

While the information on the Motor Vehicle Register is official information, the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)[17] does not affect operation of the LTA. Section 52(3)(b)(ii)[18] the OIA provides that nothing in the OIA derogates from: "Any provision which is contained in any other Act of Parliament... and which ...regulates the manner in which official information may be obtained or made available"

Data inconsistencies

Inconsistencies exist in the register data making automated matching of vehicles difficult. Although many input fields are available[19] most are not mandatory and the quality of the data entered differs depending on the experience of the operator and the information available to them. Open input fields are used in some instances where lists should be provided causing spelling differences and errors. Model and submodel names are sometimes reversed, vehicle features are often omitted. Over a third of all chassis and engine types are missing, incorrect or not machine readable.

Prohibitive laws preventing deep analysis

The NZTA offers data analysis of the register[20] but not with VIN, Engine Number or Chassis Codes as these can uniquely identify a vehicle. Technically, analysis would exclude all uniquely identifying data, however this is a legal grey area that has hindered the development of vehicle matching systems using Motor Vehicle Register information.blic.

References
  1. New motor regulations, Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18270, 2 January 1925, Page 4
  2. New Zealand number plates
  3. Kay, Martin; Small, Vernon (20 November 2008). "Last ride for Clark as Key takes wheel". The Dominion Post. Wellington: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 December 2008. ... Miss Clark gave the thumbs-up as she left Parliament in CR1 on her last ride in the limousine reserved for the nation's leader. She returned in one of the Crown's pool cars. Mr Key, who went to Government House soon after her, came back in CR1.
  4. Boreham, Jay (28 January 2018). "No OR6ASM on our highways: The number plates rejected by NZTA in 2017". Stuff. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  5. van der Stoep, Leigh (25 September 2011). "Whatever their fancy, drivers obliged to live with GAY". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  6. "NZTA to replace GUN number plates for free". Stuff (Fairfax). 1 May 2019.
  7. Land Transport NZ
  8. Dally, Joelle (1 October 2012). "Crackdown on puzzling car number plates". The Press. Christchurch: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 October 2012. Police already have the power to pull personalised number plates off cars for being offensive and now they are targeting ones that are confusing.
  9. "Investment Plate information". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  10. "or6as, fk8r and 4uhoes personalised number plates rejected by NZTA in 2017". Stuff (Fairfax). 28 January 2018.
  11. "KiwiPlates website". Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. "Section 236 Application for information from register". newzealand.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  13. "Section 237 Entitlement to receive information". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  14. "Land Transport Act 1998". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  15. "Motor Vehicle Register information". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  16. "NZ Import VIN vs Manufacturer's VIN". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  17. "Official Information Act 1982". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  18. "Official Information Act 1982 Section 52". newzealand.govt.nz. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  19. "Vehicle Attributes". NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  20. "New Zealand Motor Vehicle Registration Statistics". NZ Transport Agency. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.

Vehicle report providers
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