Car plates can pull big money

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 21

Car plates can pull big money

JUDY O’CONNOR writes from Sydney that the personally worded plates scheme for New Zealand motor-vehicle owners is the

subject of some envy.

The scheme recently announced by the New Zealand Government to market personalised number plates is the most advanced in the world, according to the head of a similar unit in Sydney. “I take my hat off to them,” says Leigh Cowan, of the Department of Motor Transport in Sydney. “It is brilliant and leaps and bounds ahead of other countries.”

The difference is that, in other countries the Government produces and sells the plates, but in New Zealand, the Government will let the selling side out to private enterprise, while still keeping a 50 per cent equity. “This way the scheme will be promoted to its full commercial potential and the money will go to the New Zealand people as Government revenue,” says Leigh.

“Government bureaucracies don’t have the expertise to market schemes like this, and the New Zealanders have had the good sense to realise that and let private promoters do it, while keeping 50 per cent of the profit.”

The two men chosen to market the plates, Murray Thom and Peter Jordan of Auckland, have impressive reputations in Australia. Murray Thom is best known as the international promoter of Footrot Flats and for his marketing services to the All Black, David Kirk, comedian Billy T. James and musician Dave Dobbyn.

Peter Jordan has had similar success in management. He was project manager for Lakeland Properties, and worked as an engineering consultant to contractors for the Glenbrook Steel Mill. He was previously employed by Geo Therman Energy (N.Z.), Ltd, for the Kamojang Geothermal Power project. In Australia the number plate business is both good fun and good business. Some of the 280,000 personalised plates in circulation in New South Wales (15 per cent of total vehicle registrations) include MACHO, FAMOUS, CLASSY and MEDICO. For the romantically minded there is LOVED 1, I LUVU 2, SPUNKY, SEXY ... and TAKEN. There’s also FOXY, MY TOY, PURR, NORTY and HUNK.

"About 40 per cent are given as gifts,” says Leigh, who admits his favourite is 4 MY EGO, ordered for a Rolls Royce a few years ago. The cost of these plates (which substitute a word for the usual number) is sAust24o, payable each year. Plates that simply have initials, followed by the usual numbers, are sAustloo as a once only fee. Part of Leigh’s job is to decide whether the plates people apply for are acceptable by community standards and whether or not they are downright obscene. He

enjoys the job, although admits he is sometimes boared by the lack of wit some people show when applying for plates. “There’s so much scope for clever or original plates; why limit yourself to four-letter words?”

Some of the applications he has rejected are SMEGMA (look it up in the dictionary) BLOJOB and ORGASM ... although ORGASM was approved. Leigh’s department used to keep a list of unacceptable words for number plates, such as Jesus and God, but it was dispensed with about a year ago.

“It became obsolete and didn’t work as people always managed to outsmart it.”

Instead, plate applications go through a multi-culling process. Obviously offensive words are rejected outright by the counter staff, and the remaining ones are scrutinised by Leigh for more obscure connotations.

“Personally, I’m not offended by anything people put on their number plates. However, we do try to take a responsible attitude and tend to lean on the conservative side.”

Probably the most popular requests are for Christian names, initials or car models, but then you get others like WAMBAM, EZYLUV, ALL4U, SINBIN and OOOCH.

Foreign words can be a problem. Up until now, none have been forbidden and consequently someone is driving around with MERDE number plates. But not for long, perhaps. An elderly couple recently spotted the plate and lodged a complaint which is being investigated. As well as personally worded plates, in Australia, number plates with special numbers, such as" 1,7, 100, and so on, are highly sought after and extremely valuable. They make excellent investments because buyers purchase the plate outright and can therefore sell them on the open market any time.

Current prices are staggering: $50,000 for number 3, $32,000 for number 4, and $25,000 for number 7.

“The owner of number 1 was recently offered $200,000 and knocked it back,” says Leigh. “Their value is their uniqueness. No one else can ever have that number.” Others make sentimental choices: “One man recently paid $lB,OOO for “28 28,” which was above the market value. When asked why, he said every one of his children had been born on the twenty-eighth, he became engaged on the twenty-eighth, and got married on the twentyeighth (it was also a good way of remembering everyone's birthday and anniversary). And yes, there is a vehicle driving around with KIWI ... it is a maroon Ford lorry.