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Land Transport Act 1998

Motor vehicle registration and licensing - General provisions relating to registration and licensing

267: Appeal to District Court

You could also call this:

“You can ask a court to look at decisions about your car's registration or plates if you think they're wrong”

If you’re not happy with a decision made by the Registrar or an enforcement officer about your vehicle registration or license plates, you can appeal to the District Court. You can do this if the decision was about you and you disagree with it.

The District Court can agree with the original decision, change it, or completely reverse it.

While your appeal is being looked at, you still need to follow the rules and the original decision. You can’t ignore the rules just because you’re waiting for your appeal to be decided.

The decisions you can appeal are:

  1. When your car is taken away and held by the authorities
  2. When you’re not allowed to get an extra plate or a trade plate
  3. When you’re told to give back your regular plates, personalised plates, extra plates, or trade plates
  4. When your plates are taken away by the authorities

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM3701910.

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Part 17 Motor vehicle registration and licensing
General provisions relating to registration and licensing

267Appeal to District Court

  1. A person may appeal to the District Court against a specified decision made under this Part by the Registrar or an enforcement officer if the person—

  2. is a person in respect of whom the decision was made; and
    1. is dissatisfied with the decision.

      1. The Court may confirm, reverse, or modify the specified decision appealed against.

      2. Every specified decision appealed against under this section continues in force pending the determination of the appeal, and no person is excused from complying with this Part on the ground that an appeal is pending.

      3. For the purposes of this section, a specified decision means a decision to—

      4. seize and impound a motor vehicle under section 249:
        1. refuse to issue a supplementary plate or a trade plate in accordance with regulations made under this Part:
          1. require the surrender of ordinary plates, personalised plates, supplementary plates, or trade plates in accordance with section 265 or any regulations made under this Part:
            1. seize plates under section 265(2).

              Notes
              • Section 267: inserted, on , by section 32(14) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 17).
              • Section 267(1): amended, on , by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).