Cambridge woman Vicki Singer returned to her car parked on Harwood St, Hamilton, recently after going to the movies at Centre Place to find she had a $200 ticket.
The fine print on the ticket said it was for having an “unauthorised plate attached”.
Hamilton City Council told her the ticket was issued because the front plate had a blue and yellow European symbol. All New Zealand plates must legally have holograms of a silver fern on them.
The previous owner told Mrs Singer he had purchased the plates off germanplates.co.nz but that he had lost the original plates.
“It’s funny it passed the WOF (warrant of fitness) if it wasn’t legal,” Mrs Singer said.
“I have had WOFs etc, been parking in cities all over New Zealand for months and finally we got this – very ropeable I was.”
She got the New Zealand-new Audi hatchback checked by the Automobile Association before she bought the car from an Auckland-based policeman a year ago.
The holograms can only be seen on New Zealand licence plates on close inspection and some cars with older number plates are also not compliant without them.
Mrs Singer said when she first got the ticket no-one at Hamilton City Council could explain why and she was instead told to write a letter objecting to it.
Hamilton City Council parking operations manager Janice Burns said council would waive the fine if Mrs Singer attached the original plate on the front of the car.
She said Hamilton City Council enforced the law on behalf of police.
“There’s been so many non-standard and authorised plates coming into the country, we are trying to eliminate this and have everybody back with the same plates.
“What we are wanting her to do is comply with the law and that’s why we are ticketing.”
New Zealand Transport Agency said there were legal requirements around licence plates which included being a specific size, having black writing on a white plate and being made of aluminium.
NZTA regional access and use manager David Pearks said the legislation was up to the interpretation of individual councils.
“As long as the plate conforms to that it will be in keeping with the legislation so will be authorised.”
Mrs Singer has now purchased new plates in the hope her fine will be wiped.
Source [Stuff]
