The plate, which carried a misspelling of a racial slur aimed at Asians, was spotted by a Chinese New Zealander who raised concerns with the Herald and with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).
The Auckland mother, who did not want to be identified, said she had seen a car carrying the plate in the Flatbush area and said it had become a subject of discussion on Chinese-language social media.
“Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated, especially when it is displayed so publicly,” she said.
“Imagine if a curious child saw this plate ... please consider how serious the impact will be.
“There are a lot of concerns, there are a lot of Chinese people posting it on social media and trying to figure out why this thing happens in New Zealand. It’s really disturbing.
“People are saying, ‘In New Zealand we have never expected this kind of thing to happen, and all the people … greet each other, and are very friendly’.
“Nothing like this happened before and [it is] just so random, it feels like someone is targeting Asian ethnicity.”
She said the experience was at odds with her other experiences in New Zealand, where she has lived for 17 years, noting that “people are quite nice here”.
The plate was seen around Auckland, raising concerns from some in the Asian community.
NZTA confirmed to the Herald that the plate was being revoked after it received complaints.
Personalised plates are ordered through KiwiPlates, a private company. NZTA told the Herald it had reviewed the plate and agreed with KiwiPlates that it should never have been approved.
“We do not condone the use of racially insensitive or derogatory language on personalised plates,” an NZTA spokesman said.
“Steps are being taken to revoke this plate. Its owner has been informed of this decision and the reasons for it.”
NZTA is responsible for issuing registration plate numbers to vehicles, including personalised plates.
“Section 266 of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009 allows the Registrar to prohibit the use of certain numbers, letters, or combinations of numbers or letters on personalised plates, and section 265 allows the Registrar to order the surrender or seizure of personalised plates if they are likely to cause offence or confusion,” the spokesman said.
“If NZTA/Waka Kotahi receives a complaint, the potential offensiveness of the personalised plate is weighed against the plate holder’s freedom of expression under the Bill of Rights. Determining the offensiveness of each personalised plate can be difficult, so they are always assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“If members of the public believe a plate is offensive, we encourage them to contact us and let us know. That way, we can ensure the issue is addressed, and a review carried out, if necessary.”
