A new law in New Zealand – the Land Transport (Road User) Amendment Rule 2009 – comes into effect from 1st November 2009, making it illegal for drivers to make mobile phone calls when driving unless they’re making those calls ‘hands-free’.
However, unlike the UK equivalent, the NZ law was originally set to ban any other use of mobile devices except for making calls. This meant it would also be illegal to use a mobile phone as a ‘sat nav’ device when driving, although separate sat-nav devices would have still been acceptable. The Ministry of Transport has now said the new law will be amended to permit the in-car usage of satellite navigation and music players on mobiles as long as the device is fixed in the vehicle and isn’t being set up when the vehicle is in motion. [Sources: New Zealand Transport Agency; Stuff.co.nz; PCWorld.co.nz]