Vehicle registration plates of New Zealand

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.

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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

• Collection of New Zealand numberplates from many eras
• Nichols, Lane (31 August 2010). "Aryan1 licence plate all about love, not hate". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax NZ.
• Requesting register information from the NZTA
• Stolen vehicle check at the New Zealand Police website