Terms of use

Last updated: 25 October 2026

These terms are the rules for using PlateYard (plateyard.co.nz). By using the site or creating an account, you agree to them. Please read them, along with our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use PlateYard.

Operator: PlateYard, PO Box 30126, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand. Email: hello@plateyard.co.nz.

1. What PlateYard is, and what it isn't

1.1 PlateYard is an online marketplace. It helps people list, find and discuss New Zealand personalised number plates. We provide listings, a wanted board, offers, private messages and a price checker.

1.2 We are not a party to any sale. Every sale is between the buyer and the seller. We don't buy, sell, own, hold or transfer plates or plate entitlements. We don't act as an agent, broker or valuer for either side.

1.3 We don't hold or handle money for plate sales. Buyers pay sellers directly. We never take deposits, run escrow or pass on funds. If anyone asks you to pay "through PlateYard" or to a PlateYard account for a plate, it is a scam. Please report it.

1.4 We are not part of, endorsed by or affiliated with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), KiwiPlates or LicenSys.

1.5 We don't check every listing or user. We can't promise that a listing is accurate, that a seller holds a plate, or that a sale will go ahead.

2. Your account

2.1 You must be 18 or over and able to enter into a binding contract to create an account.

2.2 Give accurate details and keep your email address up to date. Keep your password secure and don't share your account. You are responsible for what happens on your account. Tell us straight away at hello@plateyard.co.nz if you think someone else has used it.

2.3 Your display name is public. It must not be offensive, pretend to be someone else, or contain contact details.

2.4 You can close your account at any time by emailing us. Our Privacy Policy explains what we keep after an account is closed and for how long.

3. Selling: your declaration and responsibilities

3.1 Seller declaration. Each time you list a plate, you confirm that:

• (a) you are the person entitled to the plate (the "entitlement holder"), or the entitlement holder has authorised you to sell it for them;
• (b) you are able to transfer the entitlement through the official process described in clause 5;
• (c) nobody else has a claim to the plate that you haven't told buyers about; and
• (d) everything in your listing is true and not misleading.

We record the date and time you make this declaration. Making a false declaration is a serious breach of these terms. It may also be unlawful.

3.2 Describe the plate accurately. Say whether physical plates have been made or the sale is for the entitlement only. Mention any condition, style or restrictions you know about. Don't make false or misleading claims about a plate, its history, its rarity or its value.

3.3 Plates you don't hold. Don't list a combination you don't currently hold. That includes a combination you hope to buy from KiwiPlates or someone else first. If you are offering to find or source a plate for someone, post it as a wanted post or make that clear in your listing.

3.4 Sellers in trade must say so. If you sell plates as a business, you are "in trade". For example, you might buy plates to resell, sell plates regularly or sell on behalf of others for a fee. If so, you must state clearly in each listing that you are in trade, as required by section 28B of the Fair Trading Act 1986. Buyers then know they may have extra consumer rights. If you are unsure, the Commerce Commission's guidance on being "in trade" can help. We may remove listings or suspend accounts that don't comply.

3.5 Keep listings current. Mark a listing sold, or pause or remove it, as soon as the plate is no longer available.

3.6 Disputes about who holds a plate. If someone tells us they hold a plate you have listed, we may hide the listing while we look into it. We may ask you to show that you hold the plate, for example with your Certificate of Entitlement. We may remove the listing if you can't satisfy us.

4. Buying, offers and messages

4.1 Check before you pay. Before paying, confirm that the seller holds the plate. You could ask to see the Certificate of Entitlement or the physical plates and check that the name matches the seller's identification. Our transfer guide explains how. Only pay once you are satisfied, and use a payment method that leaves a record.

4.2 Offers. You can make and respond to offers through PlateYard. Marking an offer "Accepted" on PlateYard records that the two of you have agreed in principle. It is not a binding contract on its own, and PlateYard is not a party to it. Any binding agreement is between you and the other person. Agree clearly on the price, what is included and when you will pay and transfer.

4.3 Your consumer rights. Whether consumer laws apply depends on who you buy from:

• Private sellers: a sale between two private people is generally not covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (CGA). Some parts of the Fair Trading Act 1986 (FTA) still apply, but you have fewer protections than when you buy from a business.
• Sellers in trade: if you buy from a seller in trade for personal use, the CGA and FTA apply to that seller. Nothing in these terms reduces those rights.

The Commerce Commission and Consumer Protection have more information on buying from private sellers and traders.

4.4 Messages. Use private messages only to arrange plate sales. We automatically remove phone numbers, email addresses and links from messages unless both of you have agreed to share contact details. If someone shares contact details with you, use them only to arrange that sale. Don't add them to mailing lists, pass them on or contact the person for anything else.

4.5 Blocking and reporting. You can block any user at any time, and the person you block is not told. Please report anything suspicious using the report button or by emailing hello@plateyard.co.nz.

5. Transferring a plate

5.1 Personalised plate entitlements are transferred through the official process run by LicenSys for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, not by PlateYard. Holding the entitlement means you are lawfully entitled to the plate. It is not the same as legal ownership of a physical item.

5.2 The current entitlement holder completes and signs the official Transfer of Entitlement form and sends it to LicenSys. LicenSys then updates its records. Transfer fees and processing times are set by LicenSys and NZTA, and they may change. Check their websites for current details.

5.3 Moving a plate to or from a vehicle, and transferring vehicle ownership, are separate steps handled by NZTA and its agents. The buyer and seller are responsible for completing every step correctly, including any fees.

5.4 NZTA may refuse or recall a personalised plate in some situations, for example if it is offensive. We have no control over these decisions.

6. Price checker and estimates

6.1 The price checker gives an automated estimate. It is based on listings, asking prices and sold prices shared on PlateYard, and on general rules about plate features.

6.2 An estimate is not a valuation, appraisal or offer to buy. It may be wrong. It doesn't take into account everything that affects what a buyer will pay. Don't rely on it for insurance, tax, lending, accounting, legal or investment decisions. Plate prices can go down as well as up.

7. Content rules

7.1 Don't post, send or upload anything that:

• (a) is false, misleading or deceptive, including fake listings, fake offers or invented price history;
• (b) is offensive, discriminatory, threatening, harassing or abusive, including plate combinations that NZTA would consider offensive;
• (c) is unlawful, encourages illegal activity or breaches someone else's rights, including copyright, trade marks or privacy;
• (d) is a scam or phishing attempt, or asks for deposits, gift cards, cryptocurrency or payments "through PlateYard";
• (e) is spam, chain messages or advertising for things other than personalised plates;
• (f) pretends to be someone else, or to be PlateYard, NZTA, KiwiPlates or LicenSys; or
• (g) contains other people's personal information without their permission.

7.2 Don't misuse the site. In particular, don't:

• (a) scrape or harvest listings or user details by automated means;
• (b) get around rate limits, blocks, contact filtering or account suspensions;
• (c) create multiple accounts to avoid our rules;
• (d) interfere with the site's security or operation, or try to access accounts or data that aren't yours; or
• (e) inflate listing views, saves or prices artificially.

7.3 Harmful content: if you believe content on PlateYard is harmful or unlawful, email hello@plateyard.co.nz. We will look into it promptly. Where the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 applies, we will follow its process.

8. Your content

8.1 You keep ownership of what you post. You give PlateYard a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, copy and format it so we can run and promote the marketplace. For example, we may show listings in search results or on social media. The licence ends when you remove the content, except where the content has already been shared or where we keep it as set out in our Privacy Policy.

8.2 We may use plate and price data from listings to produce price estimates and market statistics, but only in a form that doesn't identify you.

8.3 You are responsible for what you post. You confirm that you have the right to post it.

9. Moderation and suspension

9.1 We may edit (for example to remove contact details), hide or remove any listing, wanted post or message, and may restrict, suspend or close any account. We may do this if we reasonably believe it breaches these terms or the law, puts other users at risk, or harms PlateYard's reputation or operation.

9.2 Where it is safe and practical, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond. You can ask us to review a decision by emailing hello@plateyard.co.nz.

9.3 We may report suspected scams, fraud or other unlawful conduct to the Police, NZTA or other authorities. We may also give them relevant information, as allowed by the Privacy Act 2020.

10. Fees and paid features

10.1 Creating an account, listing a plate and posting on the wanted board are free. Listings have no time limit.

10.2 We may offer optional paid features, such as Featured listings that get extra visibility. Before you buy, we will show the price (including GST, if any), what you get and how long it lasts. A Featured listing improves where your listing appears. It doesn't guarantee views, enquiries or a sale.

10.3 Paid features are services we supply to you. If you buy one as a consumer, you have rights under the CGA and FTA. For example, we must provide the service with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these terms limits those rights. If we remove a paid listing because it breaches these terms, we don't have to refund you, except where the law requires it.

10.4 If you buy a paid feature for business purposes (in trade), the CGA doesn't apply to that purchase. This is permitted by section 43 of the CGA and section 5D of the FTA. Both of us agree it is fair and reasonable for this clause to apply between businesses.

11. Availability and changes to the service

We aim to keep PlateYard running smoothly, but it may sometimes be unavailable, for example for maintenance or because of problems outside our control. We may change, add or remove features. If we plan to close the service, we will give reasonable notice where we can.

12. Our liability

12.1 Dealings between users. We are not a party to any sale or agreement between users. To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for any loss arising from them. That includes a sale that falls through, a payment not made or a plate not transferred. It also includes a misleading listing, a false seller declaration and a scam by another user.

12.2 Information on the site. Listings, wanted posts, messages and other user content are the responsibility of the person who posted them. Price estimates and guides are general information only (see clause 6).

12.3 Limits. To the extent the law allows:

• (a) we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, opportunity or data; and
• (b) our total liability to you for any claim about PlateYard is limited to the greater of NZ$100 and the amount you paid us for paid features in the 12 months before the claim.

12.4 Your statutory rights are not affected. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes any right or remedy you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, the Fair Trading Act 1986 or any other law that can't be excluded by contract. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for our own fraud or wilful misconduct.

12.5 Your responsibility. If you break these terms or the law, you are responsible for any loss you cause to us or other users. For example, this could happen if you list a plate you don't hold or run a scam.

13. Resolving disputes

13.1 Between users: try to sort things out directly first. If that doesn't work, small claims can be taken to the Disputes Tribunal. Report scams to the Police and to Netsafe. We may help where we reasonably can, for example by keeping records. We are not required to settle disputes between users.

13.2 With us: contact us first at hello@plateyard.co.nz and we will try to sort it out. Privacy complaints are covered in our Privacy Policy.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The date at the top shows when we last changed them. If a change significantly affects you, we will tell signed-in users on the site or by email before it takes effect. If you keep using PlateYard after a change takes effect, you accept the new terms. If you don't agree, you can stop using PlateYard and close your account.

15. General

15.1 These terms are governed by New Zealand law, and New Zealand courts and tribunals have jurisdiction.

15.2 If any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.

15.3 If we don't enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later.

15.4 These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the whole agreement between you and PlateYard about using the site.

15.5 Contact: PlateYard, PO Box 30126, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand. Email: hello@plateyard.co.nz.