Left Hand Drive (Exemption from Equipment Requirements) Notice 1998 Pursuant to regulation 90 (1) of the Traffic Regulations 1976 (``the regulations''), and pursuant to an authority delegated to me by the Director of Land Transport Safety (``the director''), I, Simon Christopher Whiteley, Manager Safer Vehicles, give the following notice: N o t i c e 1. This notice may be cited as the Left Hand Drive (Exemption from Equipment Requirements) Notice 1998 and shall come into force on the 1st day of April 1998. 2. This notice applies to those motor vehicles of the categories specified in the Schedule to this notice which have the steering column to the left of the longitudinal centre line of the body of the vehicle and which are, or have been, imported into New Zealand from any other country. 3. Subject to 4. below, I declare exempt from the requirements of regulation 70 (1) of the regulations those vehicles referred to in 2. above (``the exempted vehicles''). 4. The exempted vehicles shall be subject to the conditions specified in relation to the appropriate categories in the Schedule to this notice. 5. This notice shall, from the date of its coming into force, replace any previous notices pursuant to regulation 90 (1) and exempt motor vehicles from the requirements of regulation 70 (1) of the regulations. Schedule Category A: Light Vehicle Less Than 20 Years Old Any motor car or goods service vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (as specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle) of not more than 3500 kilograms that was originally manufactured in a country other than New Zealand less than 20 years before the date of importation into New Zealand. Conditions (1) The person who imports the vehicle (``the original importer'') must have owned and operated the vehicle, as a vehicle registered in that importer's name, in a country other than New Zealand for no less than 90 consecutive days immediately prior to the vehicle's date of shipping to New Zealand. (2) The vehicle must be imported solely for the personal use of the original importer. (3) The original importer must be resident in New Zealand and must be a citizen of New Zealand or hold a New Zealand residence permit at the time of registration of the vehicle. (4) The first registration of the vehicle in New Zealand (in accordance with the Transport (Vehicle and Driver Registration and Licensing) Act 1986) must be in the name of the original importer. (5) No vehicle of this category shall be an exempted vehicle where any such vehicle is registered in New Zealand in the name of the original importer 5 years or less from the date of first registration in New Zealand of any other such vehicle. (6) A vehicle of this category shall not be exempted while it is registered in New Zealand in the name of any person other than that of the original importer during a period of 5 years from the date of its first registration in New Zealand unless 20 years or more have elapsed since the date of the vehicle's original manufacture. Category B: Light Vehicle More Than 20 Years Old Any motor car or goods service vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (as specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle) of not more than 3500 kilograms and which was originally manufactured in a country other than New Zealand 20 years or more before its date of importation into New Zealand. Conditions (1) The vehicle must be imported solely for the personal use of the original importer. (2) The original importer must be resident in New Zealand and must be a citizen of New Zealand or hold a New Zealand residence permit at the time of registration of the vehicle. (3) The first registration of the vehicle in New Zealand (in accordance with the Transport (Vehicle and Driver Registration and Licensing) Act 1986) must be in the name of the original importer. (4) No vehicle of this category shall be an exempted vehicle where any such vehicle is registered in New Zealand in the name of the original importer 1 year or less from the date of first registration in New Zealand of any other such vehicle. Category C1: Dual Steering Controls Any motor vehicle with dual steering columns and controls. Conditions No person may operate the vehicle from the left hand drive position unless the vehicle is at that time engaged in activities which require left hand drive control for operational or safety purposes. Category C2: Other Specialist Vehicles (1) Any vehicle of the following specified types and used solely or principally as such: (a) a mobile crane; (b) a vehicle equipped as a hearse; (c) a vehicle which operates wholly or partly on self-laying tracks; (d) an agricultural tractor or self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine; (e) an earthmoving machine. (2) Any specialist vehicle where the director confirms in writing that the vehicle has special characteristics, or is equipped for special operational purposes, so that conversion to right hand drive is impractical. Conditions applicable only to Category C2 (2) vehicles In respect of a category C2 (2) vehicle, the vehicle shall be an exempted vehicle only where the director agrees that the operation of the vehicle requires it to have its steering column to the left of the longitudinal centre line. Category D: Operated by Diplomats and for ``Operation Deep Freeze'' Any vehicle that is operated by a person who is, for the time being, entitled to any immunity from jurisdiction by or under the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1968 or the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1971 or by staff and employees engaged in Operation Deep Freeze. Category E: Previously Exempted Any motor vehicle which was exempted from the requirements of regulation 70 (1) of the regulations or from any previous substantially corresponding provision prior to the coming into force of this notice. The conditions of that original exemption still apply. Category F: Vehicles Exempt From Registration and Licensing Any motor vehicle which is exempt in accordance with regulation 3 of the Transport (Vehicle Registration and Licensing) Regulations 1994 to the extent specified in Part I, 5. of the First Schedule of those regulations. Signed at Wellington this 12th day of March 1998. SIMON CHRISTOPHER WHITELEY, Manager Safer Vehicles, acting under the authority delegated to me by way of instrument of delegation dated 23 December 1996.