Vehicle registration plates of New Zealand

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In New Zealand, vehicle registration plates contain one of a number of different combinations of up to six alphanumeric characters, depending on the type of vehicle and the date of registration. Number plates display these characters on the front and back of powered vehicles.

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[edit] Standard numbering sequences

A vehicle registration plate of New Zealand in the rarely-seen style used in the European Union
A vehicle registration plate of New Zealand in the rarely-seen style used in the European Union

[edit] Cars and heavy vehicles

Private cars, taxis, and heavier road vehicles in New Zealand have number plates with up to six characters on them. Up until 2001, these number plates had two letters followed by one to four numbers (format LLnnnn), the sequence having started with "AA100" and continuing through to "ZZ9989" chronologically (for example, SM2719). An observer could therefore ascertain the approximate date of first registration of a vehicle by means of the number plate.

By the end of the year 2000 this system had reached the end of the alphabet ("ZZ"). The series officially ended with plate "ZZ9989" - the sequence "ZZ999Ø" 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 1ØØ. Land Transport New Zealand also issued "AAA1ØØ" to "AAA1Ø3" as personalised plates, officially meaning that the first plate in the new series read "AAA1Ø4".

Starting with "CEA", the number ranges began to start with 1 — as in the old system. Again, the authorities issued this series according to the first two letters — the third letter and numbers did not necessarily get issued totally in sequence. As of June 2008 the registration pattern had reached "EP", followed by a third letter and one to three numbers (for example: "EPD294").

Unlike in many countries, observers can rarely 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 such 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 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; in July 2000 with the allocation of plates beginning with "ZI" to Auckland region.

[edit] Motorcycles and tractors

These vehicles use one of several five-character systems. The system currently in use consists of one or two numbers followed by three letters. The system increments the number-sequence first, so after plate "12ABC" comes "13ABC", and "99ABC" precedes "01ABD". As of March 2007, these plates had reached the "Y"-range.

[edit] Caravans and trailers

At present, caravan and trailer number plates have the format LnnnL (e.g. A123A).

[edit] History

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 simply painted on. From 1925, the authorities issued steel plates to vehicle-owners annually. This system changed when steel supplies became limited during World War II: from 1941 plates remained valid for 5 years.

The issue of permanent registration-plates first started in 1964. These new plates featured silver letters and numbers on black aluminium plates, and started with "AA100". The LLnnnn system started at this time. Reflectorised white plates with black characters replaced silver-on-black plates in November 1986, officially starting with "NA1", though an earlier limited trial run had taken place during the "MX1-MX999" run some weeks earlier. Personalised plates first appeared two years later.

The old silver-on-black plates remain valid and in use, though only on older vehicles. Vehicle-owners in New Zealand do not have to change registration plates when ownership of a vehicle changes, which means one can buy a pre-1987 used car which still has old silver-on-black plates on it. If old silver-on-black plates on a vehicle become irreparably damaged, the newer black-on-white plates may supplant them.

The font used remained the same during the change from silver-on-black plates to black-on-white plates. Until the end of plates starting with "PB", zeroes had no slash through them (e.g. HC330,NZ8004), however from "PC1Ø" onwards, zeroes have a slash through them (as in PP52Ø9,UO8ØØØ).

Plates used sans-serif lettering until the start of the letter codes beginning "DFN" (March 2006), since which time plates have used a heavier, partially serifed font, looking somewhat squarer and thicker-lined. WhatTheFont does not recognise the new "based on a German design"[citation needed] style. The free font Licenz replicates the style and spacing of this design. 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.

[edit] Design

Later plates with a white background may feature a holographic pattern on the white field — observed as early as the XK-series. 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 code characters on a single horizontal line. (Plates for motorcycles may split the code between two horizontal lines. Plates on the front mudguards of motorcycles can take the overall form of an arc.)

[edit] Notes / Exceptions

The New Zealand registration system avoids several combinations of letters. Since 1971 the letter V has appeared only in personalised plates, as it could easily lead to confusion in handwriting with U (no series-plates containing V past FV exist).

Plates using the LLnnnn codes starting with "PC" onwards differentiate the digit 0 from the letter O by the use of an oblique slash ("Ø") - this innovation came shortly after the change from black plates to white plates. Also the issuers did not use the letter "Q" as the first letter in the prefix; after the PZ series came RA instead of QA. However, Q does exist as the second letter, for example: "RQ1152".

Between 1998 and 2001, number-plates with the prefix "XA" and continuing through to "ZZ" had 4-digit numbers after the letters, numbers starting from 1000 instead of from 1.

The LLnnnn system deliberately reserved plates starting with the combinations "CC", "DC" and "FC" for diplomatic vehicles. Mayoral and ministerial vehicles used the prefix "CR". In the same system, plates starting with "MN" do not appear on New Zealand roads: that series (MN1-MN9999) went to the Cook Islands in 1985 for use there. Other combinations skipped include "FA", "FO", "FU", "II", and "IO" in the LLnnnn system.

Since the change to the LLLnnn format, the letters I and X have only appeared on plates starting with "AAI", and "AAX" respectively (presumably a mistake only realised after that). Similarly, the letter O has featured only in the combinations "AAO" and "ABO", and has not reappeared since (neither as the second nor the third letter). This practice has reversed the usage in the later LLnnnn system.

In summary, current plates eschew the 4 letters I, O, V, and X.

Also, the issuers have avoided some 3-letter combinations, mainly to avoid offensive suggestivity. So far, excluded combinations include:

ARS, ASS, BAD, BAG, BAT, BRA, BUM, BUT, CNT, CUM, CUN, DUM

However, a "CRP"-series exists.

Furthermore, BMW dealers have bought up the complete range starting with the letters "BMW" for use as semi-personalised plates, and Kia cars have appeared with "KIA"-prefixes. The issuers have reserved plates starting with "CCC" and "DCC", presumably for diplomatic vehicles.

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.


[edit] Plate series with approximate year issued

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 JA JB
1979 IZ JC JD JE JF JG JI JJ JT
1980 JH JK JL JM JO JP JQ JR JS JW JX
1981 JN JU 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 OD OF OG OH OI OJ OK OL OM ON OO OP OQ OS
1990 OR OT OU OW OX OY OZ PA PB PC PD PE PF PG PH PI PJ PK PL PO
1991 PM PN PP PQ PR PS PT PU PW PX PY PZ RA RB RC RD
1992 RE RF RG RH RI RJ RK RL RM RN RO RP RQ RR RT
1993 RS RU RW RX RY RZ SA SB SC SD SE SF
1994 SG SH SI SJ SK SL SM SN SO SP SQ SR SS ST SU SW SX SY SZ TA
1995 TB TC TD TE TF TG TH TI TJ TK TL TM TN TO TP TQ TR TS TT TW TX
1996 TU TY TZ UA UB UC UD UE UF UG UH UI UJ UK UL UM UN UO UP UQ UR US UT
1997 UU UW UX UY UZ WA WB WC WD WE WF WG WH WI WJ WK WL WM WN WO WP WQ WR WS
1998 WT WU WW WX WY WZ XA XB XC XD XE XF XG XH XI XJ XK XL XM XN XO XP XQ
1999 XR XS XT XU XW XX XY XZ YA YB YC YD YE YF YG YH YI YJ YK YL YM YN YO YP YQ YR YS
2000 YT YU YW YX YY YZ ZA ZB ZC ZD ZE ZF ZG ZH ZI ZJ ZK ZL ZM ZN ZO ZP ZQ ZR ZS ZT ZU
2001 ZW ZX ZY ZZ AAA-AKK
2002 AKL-BAK
2003 BAL-BSS
2004 BST-CKY
2005 CKZ-DCZ
2006 DDA-DRG
2007 DRH-EHC
2008 EHD-

[edit] 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, follow the LLnnnn system, yet have a leading zero after the letters "AB" (for "All Blacks"), giving them the format "ABØnnn".

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

[edit] Personalised plates

Personalised plates exist, where for a premium a vehicle's registered owner may purchase a plate with a specific unique combination of characters. The purchaser may use any combination that falls outside the standard numbering sequences (apart from derogatory or obscene combinations). 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" already 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 sometimes change hands for large sums of money.

Currently, prospective buyers can order a personalised set of plates as normal black-and-white plates, as red plates (red font on white background), as "lifestyle plates" (with a picture), as "Europlate plates" (European style and dimensions), or as message plates (with a small message above and/or below the license number).

[edit] 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 designs in frames. Consumers can purchase number-plate frames from retail or online stores.

[edit] External links