UK Licence Plates in New Zealand?

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nzkiwiman

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#208034 24-Jan-2017 12:02

Coming home last night I followed a huge truck "thing" that had a large warning sign on it advising it was performing Skid Testing.

As I got closer I noticed the rear licence plate was a yellow UK plate* and I wondered if you could drive in New Zealand with UK plates.

I am assuming it is legal as this truck had on its side a sign for NZTA (at least I think - I only just saw it)

My Google search isn't helping me find answers

* Pretty sure it wasn't a vanity plate as it had 7 characters and was not in the New Zealand standard [letter, letter, number x4] or [letter, letter, letter, number x3]

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#1708589 24-Jan-2017 12:06

Don't know the answer to the license plate thing but I've seen that vehicle and know a bit about it.

NZTA run the vehicle up and down the country so that every bit of state highway is tested every year.

Besides skid testing it checks the road surface/condition (some kind of LIDAR?) at the same time.

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tripp

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#1708593 24-Jan-2017 12:13

Ain't the yellow plates used to move around different vehicles so you only have to pay 1 lot of reg/RUC

Some newer cars have them for test driving, normally something like "[letter, number, number, number, year (2017)] Normally until they get reg (once sold) then they get the standard plate.

May also be used to transport vehicles around.

Sidestep

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#1708594 24-Jan-2017 12:13

I've seen a couple of foreign plated vehicles being driven in NZ as temporary imports under a "carnet de passages".

"A temporary vehicle import is a vehicle that is brought into New Zealand by a resident of another country, usually for a maximum of 12 months, while remaining registered in its country of origin. The vehicle must be exported from New Zealand within the allowed temporary entry period."

tripp

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#1708597 24-Jan-2017 12:19

Could it have been https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/motor-vehicle-traders/trade-plates/

Normally yellow, google images show white ones however

Heavy vehicle trade plates

From 1 January 2016, if you operate unregistered heavy motor vehicles (over 3500kg) you’ll be required to display a heavy vehicle trade plate on those vehicles when driving on the road.

The heavy vehicle trade plate fee includes an additional charge that goes towards road use that was previously collected through RUC. To keep things simple and costs down, you can use the new heavy vehicle trade plate on standard vehicles as well. However, you will still have to have separate trade plates for motorcycles and mopeds.

If you’re driving unregistered heavy vehicles on the road, you will need to apply for a heavy vehicle trade plate.

Oblivian

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#1708625 24-Jan-2017 12:48

I doub't it would be a D plate, but rather original import (or the optional personalised plate in Euro form... its a thing)

After the CHC eq there were entire fleets of sucker trucks driving around on aus NSW plates and wider area. Likewise bore and drill testing units. If its a specialist vehicle needed to do a particular role/task or testing it appears they can come in on that caveat without needing a NZ registration.

https://carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=s15+wdm

Heres one I prepared earlier

nzkiwiman

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#1708633 24-Jan-2017 13:03

^ That is the exact vehicle I saw (though only from the rear) - same number plate (guess I was wrong about it being 7 characters)

Thanks Stevestep for the answer! Around the road from me there was a UK plated Ford Focus RS (or similar) for a few months. Eventually it got New Zealand plates though as I now see it driving around (rather than being parked)

Wheelbarrow01

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#1708680 24-Jan-2017 13:43

Years ago, when Transfield was building the Saturn (a.k.a TelstraClear) HFC network in Wellington, pretty much all their cars, vans, utes and trucks were running Australian number plates. Their depot in the Hutt Valley had very few vehicles with NZ plates on them.

Given that the network build took a lot longer than 12 months, I am not sure how they got past the 12 month rule in a previous post. I assume that after 12 months they either registered them in NZ or sent them home.

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knoydart

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#1708682 24-Jan-2017 13:44

One of the French broadcasters bought in a French registered satellite truck for the rugby world cup in 2011 (and steering wheel on the other side). It had apparently been to New Caledonia before hand for a Presidential visit, so possibility air freighted too!

Sidestep

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#1708750 24-Jan-2017 14:27

Wheelbarrow01:

Given that the network build took a lot longer than 12 months, I am not sure how they got past the 12 month rule in a previous post. I assume that after 12 months they either registered them in NZ or sent them home.

I'm pretty sure the initial 12 months can be extended. One of our guests had his vehicle here for 18 months or so.

ScuL

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#1709637 25-Jan-2017 21:31

It is possible to temp-import a vehicle for a period of 12 months if you meet the special conditions. This is usually valid for people under temporary entry permissions, such as overseas visitors or diplomats staying in country for under 12 months. It seems that there are exemptions for special purpose vehicles as the aforementioned yellow truck.

I actually encountered this vehicle on SH6 near Murchison a week or two ago so it must be in frequent use.

Not too long ago I saw a Dutch guy on a bike with Dutch plates who had a temp-import for his motorcycle. You will still need to comply to VTNZ inspection + WOF and all biosecurity & quarantine legislation so generally a temp-import is costly and only done in extreme cases.

In saying that I recently saw this guy on UK plates in Glenfield.

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Geektastic

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#1710417 27-Jan-2017 08:06

I think you can drive on foreign plates on a carnet for 12 months.

A friend drove his Land Rover 110 from London to NZ and had it here on UK plates for the first year. They now hang in his garage!

richms

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#1710429 27-Jan-2017 08:36

Its common overseas to have them because people can drive between countries, not common in NZ since its expensive to get things here and get them back again.

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lxsw20

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#1710434 27-Jan-2017 08:47

richms:

Its common overseas to have them because people can drive between countries, not common in NZ since its expensive to get things here and get them back again.

Yeap, the amount of middle eastern plates in London is crazy. Then you get the summer super car influx too!

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#1710969 28-Jan-2017 10:46

lxsw20:

richms:

Its common overseas to have them because people can drive between countries, not common in NZ since its expensive to get things here and get them back again.

Yeap, the amount of middle eastern plates in London is crazy. Then you get the summer super car influx too!

Never mind the number of UK plates on cars towing caravans in France every summer...!

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#1710991 28-Jan-2017 11:43

Hang on a sec ... Someone explain skid testing of our roads?

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