New Zealand plugs speeding law loophole

Tens of thousands of speeding tickets could have been rendered invalid

New Zealand's parliament has passed emergency legislation to correct a legal blunder that would have left tens of thousands of speeding tickets issued over an eleven-year period invalid.

The unanimous vote came after it emerged that some road speed limits set by local authorities had inadvertently expired following previous changes in local government and traffic law, Radio New Zealand reports. The problem came to light when Kapiti District Council on the country's North Island raised concerns that its bylaws had lapsed, and it was subsequently found that the problem dates back as far as 2004. Transport Minister Simon Bridges said that he was unsure how many drivers might have had their speeding tickets annulled, but the opposition Labour Party said that the figure might have been in the tens of thousands, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

However, there's no escape for drivers who thought they might get a refund on an old ticket - the new law has retrospectively confirmed all doubtful speeding tickets issued despite the legislative mix-up. "For the avoidance of doubt, this retrospective legislation validates the speed limits set by councils and other road controlling authorities since 2004," Local Government Minister Paula Bennett said.

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