Lobby Letter: Copy and paste the following text into your word processor.

Hon. Harry Duynhoven
Minister of Transport Safety
Parliament House
Wellington 

Date    /      / 2006

Dear Mr Duynhoven

I wish to register my dissatisfaction with the Government’s lack of progress on changing the steering system rules, which are related to the importation of left-hand drive vehicles and their registration for use on New Zealand roads. 

For too long, the Government has done nothing to resolve this issue and, as a supporter of a change to the regulations, I believe the matters should be treated with urgency. It is not acceptable that the issue be delayed any further and I urge you to make it a priority in the current rules round. 

I further ask you to give favourable consideration to an exemption for left-hand drive enthusiasts supported by a realistic quota. This could be administered jointly by the VCC/New Zealand Federation of Motoring Clubs or the Left Hand Drive Enthusiasts Federation. 

In addition, I ask that an amnesty be given to the owners of left-hand drive vehicles which are currently unable to be registered or that are incorrectly registered. This is so that they can be properly certified with a VIN, be given a Warrant of Fitness and placed in the regulatory system, in the same way as right-hand drive vehicles. 

We are aware that this rule affects only a small number (3000 approximately) of New Zealanders. But, as it stands, the law is blatantly unfair and biased towards those who have sufficient resources to spend 90-days out of the country in order to import their vehicles in accordance with an outdated and outmoded law.  

There is no evidence that more left-hand drive vehicles are involved in collisions than right-hand drive vehicles; rather the reverse. Owners of these vehicles treat them like members of their families, often only driving them at weekends or to and from car shows. They tend to spend most of their time garaged so there is little danger of the roads being over-run with LHD vehicles. 

 Mr Duynhoven, we respectfully please ask LTNZ to proceed with a review of the current law forthwith so that the anomalies which currently prevail can be eradicated. 

Would you kindly indicate your intentions in this matter. 

Yours faithfully 

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