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
[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
- Collection of plates from many eras
- NZ Land Transport Safety Authority plate facts page
- Personalised plates in New Zealand
- Licenz - a font that allows the replication of NZ license-plates
- Worlds largest photographic collection of personalised nz number plates
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