Neighbourhood Support – The early morning call nobody wants

Local businesses often talk about site safety and warehouse security, but last week we had a wake-up call regarding something much smaller: our licence plates.

Running a business, you expect certain challenges, but being called by the police at 7.30am to be told your work vehicle was “involved in a crime” isn’t usually one of them.

Last week, we left our work van in our carpark overnight because the warehouse was full. By morning, our plates were gone. The thieves didn’t want the van; being electric might have had something to do with that, but they wanted our “identity.” Those plates were then used by criminals to mask their own vehicle during an incident that same night.

License plate theft is a growing issue in Auckland. Thieves use stolen plates to “mask” vehicles used in petrol drive-offs, burglaries, and ram raids. They target standard screws because they can be removed in seconds with a basic screwdriver.

The Real Cost to a Business. It wasn’t just the cost of the new plates. It was the “hidden” cost:

The Downtime: A vehicle cannot legally be on the road without plates.

The Admin: Hours spent filing police reports and applying for new plates and contacting the insurance company to advise them of the new plate number.

The Hassle: Losing a full morning of productivity and rescheduling client deliveries.

We’ve now switched to Safer Plates. These use stainless steel security screws that can’t be removed with a standard screwdriver. It’s a simple, “set and forget” fix that ensures we aren’t an easy target next time the warehouse is full.

So that was the business experience, but the irritation and inconvenience would be the same for a personal vehicle. If it happens to you:

To get replacement plates you need to have a police record number so that means logging a 105 Report – if you do it by phone make sure you get the record number.

You need to then complete an application for new plates with the NZTA Application for replacement plate (MR6A) form

Go into one of the NZTA Agents to buy and collect your new plates: AA or VTNZ or VINZ – 

Let your insurance company know about the change of plates.

Keep an eye on the Hibiscus Coast Neighbourhood Support website hcns.org.nz or follow us on Facebook, for the next community event. We can swap the screws for a small donation. Alternatively if you have a fleet of vehicles, we can come to your location on the Coast and do the job in one hit.

You can also meet the local team in person. We host a Coffee with a Cop event on the first Friday of every month. These sessions are a great opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and get to know the officers working in our community.