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Sample Letter to your MPBelow is the text of a
possible letter you could send to your MP. Click here for a fully formatted MSWord version of the letter. ____________________________________________________________ Your name Your MP I wish to protest at the inequity of the current law relating to left-hand drive vehicles in New Zealand and the failure of the Government and its agencies to address the issue. I support the Left-hand Drive Enthusiasts Federation, a group of motoring clubs and associations representing over 3,000 enthusiast vehicle owners lobbying Land Transport NZ to change the law relating to the importation of late-model, left-hand drive vehicles. The current law states that a left-hand drive vehicle (under GVM 3,500) less than 20-years old must be converted to right-hand drive in order to be registered for use in New Zealand, unless the importer has been overseas for at least 90 consecutive days during which time the vehicle has been registered in that person’s name. In addition, the vehicle must be solely for the importer’s personal use. The vehicle must be registered in the importer’s name (who must be a New Zealand resident), and only one such vehicle may be registered by the same importer in any five-year period. However, a LHD vehicle which is more than 20-years old may be imported without having to be converted or the importer needing to be overseas for at least 90 consecutive days. However, only one such vehicle can be registered in a 12-month period, after which it can be sold at any time. Being overseas for 90 days makes no difference to the vehicle’s safe use. I strongly believe the current 90-day law is unfair to left hand drive vehicle enthusiasts who own or wish to own a late-model, left-hand drive vehicle, not otherwise available in New Zealand. My key concern is that if they are converted to right-hand drive, the carefully engineered frontal impact standards of these vehicles may be affected in ways not anticipated by the manufacturer. And this I believe has major safety implications for the occupants and other road users. LTNZ cites safety as a rationale for the current law but there is no statistical evidence that a LHD vehicle is any less safe to drive on New Zealand roads than a right-hand drive vehicle. In fact, were you to visit www.nzmustang.com/Thisthat/LHD-RHD.htm you would see from the comments of more than 800 fellow-enthusiasts just how far wide of the mark this is. I do not want to see New Zealand flooded with LHD vehicles but I believe abolishing the 90-day law, a quota of 1500 vehicles a year and an “enthusiasts’ exemption” would solve the problem. This exemption would include strict criteria to ensure bona fide identification of the enthusiast through the nationwide umbrella of the NZ Federation of Motoring Clubs and would deter commercial importation. Please advise Minister of Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven of my concerns; and I would like to know what your party’s views are on this issue as well as the current situation with the ongoing LTNZ review of the rule. Yours faithfully (Sign your name) |