From the Editor:
It’s that time of the year again. Nearly Christmas. I hope you have all had a good year. I know the past year has been challenging, especially on the economic front. If you have had it tough, our feelings go out for you.
As a committee we thank all of you for your membership and your dedication to the Nissan Zed brand. If you are a new member this year again our thanks for joining up.
So a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Silly info: Ever wondered why ¾ of the world drive on the right side of the road and ¼ on the left side of the road.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the ancient Romans drove their chariots on the left so the could hold their weapon with their dominant hand.
Some credit Henry Ford with the standardisation of driving in the US on the right as he placed the steering wheel on the left of the model T.
Sweden before the 60’s was a left hand roadside driving country right in the middle of a sea of right road side drive countries, so for particle reasons swapped road sides in the mid 60’s.
Samoa changed from the right to left side of the road on 6.00am on the 8th Sept 2009. The reason for change was because Australia and New Zealand drive on the left side of the road, and by aligning with NZ and Aus it made it cheaper for Samoans to buy cars. On the day they changed they made a 2 day public holiday and announced a ban on alcohol sales for that period.
Committee:
On the committee level, it has been a reasonable year for the club.
My thanks for those that have recently joined the club, those that renewed their membership this year, it’s good to see a reasonable number of the new Zeds in the club.
Our club has recently joined the FoMC, (NZ Federation of Motoring Clubs inc.) Below find the description of this club. When we looked into this Federation, we could see that this was working with the government to the benefit of all the motoring clubs. Also, the cost to our club was minimal so made sense.
The FOMC was founded in 1994 as a group of motoring enthusiasts interested in the preservation of their vehicles and the right to use them on public roads without undue restriction by regulatory authorities. The foundation meeting was attended by 31 clubs and has grown to 150 member clubs, representing more than 131,000 members. The Federation is an incorporated Society with an Executive selected by postal ballot from member clubs and has the authority to co-opt technical personnel if required. All officers, except the Secretary, are unpaid and spend a great deal of time working for the benefit of member clubs.
The Federation is an umbrella organisation for clubs and does not accept individuals as members.
The one feature that stood out was that they were currently working with the government body in regards to our older cars (40 years and older) being able to go back to only requiring a yearly WOF rather than the current 6 monthly one. Those of you with older cars will total understand this. It really irks me when I have to get another WOF after I have only travelled a few hundred k’s. We have just heard this week that this had been turned down on the bases that they work from the lowest common denominator. But fortunately FoMC have anticipated this and are preparing to challenge this result, so watch this space. As a club member you are entitled to receive their Newsletter. You can subscribe for this on this link: https://fomc.nz/wheel-torque-newsletter-subscription/
Committee Members: We are now down to 5 committee members and in reality, working members is less. I have beaten this drum before, but we need to have more working committee members. All of the current committee have been doing this work for tens of years, so help. I have also mentioned in earlier newsletters that we are working to hold this meeting in an online format so in the very near future physical attendance at meeting will not be necessary. We are now in the position to trial this format at our next committee meeting which will now be in February 2025. If you have even the trickle of inclination, please contact me. bernjean59@gmail.com
Past Events
Ross Bros Tour: Another successful event, we had about 20 cars attend. We met at Taupiri Truck spot and drove some stunning back roads to Cambridge and this private Museum. This Museum is well worth the visit if you are traveling through Cambridge, but note it is normally closed in the weekend and only opens by invitation. Ross Bros is an earth moving company founded by the current owners grandfather after World War II. The current grandsons are motoring fanatics and have collecting some very desirable cars. The building is divided into two parts, the first part being the car collection with a 60’s stile diner and lots of retro memorabilia. The second half is a display of some very large earth moving machinery, which incidentally you are able to climb aboard. All the displays are well laid out with scenery and they are even constructing some old era buildings within the display. I have included so pictures but have a full set on our website Gallery page. After the museum those that were interested joined up to have some lunch together at the Podium Café by the Karapiro Domain on the banks of the mighty Waikato River. https://zclub.nz/latest-gallery/
Karting 2025: We managed to scrape together 15 people for this event, and we all really enjoyed it. We had 2 practice sessions each and then we were all divided into 2 groups. Fastest to slowest. The fastest of each group and the overall fastest lap received certificates. After which those that wanted could join us for a drink at the events bar. I highly recommend this venue, the location is very central and just of the motorway. More pictures are available on our web site gallery page.
Coming Events
Family Fun Day at the Drags
Invitation open to other car clubs
Sunday the 23rd of March 2025 Gates open at 8.00am
$60.00 per race car. $5.00 for passengers (special conditions apply)
Payment cash only
Free Entry for Spectators
Food and drinks on site
Rules
• Classic cars, Hot-rods, Family sedan, Bikes
• Full driver’s license needed — and Helmut required for those participating
• All car and Bikes Must have current WOF and Registration
• No cars that are capable of doing under 11 seconds.
• Passenger allowed, but must sign waiver and wear a helmet
• No burnouts are allowed other than on the pad
• No animals permitted at the venue
• No alcohol or drugs to be consumed in the pits.
Sunday the 9th February 2025
We have been allocated space for 8 cars. Last year we had a model of each generation, this year I would like to make it open to any members who are keen to come along and display there zed. The only criteria is that you car must be clean and tidy.
Please contact me at bernjean59@gmail.com
Bringing your car will mean free tickets to the event for 2 people. Cars on display must be there by 9.15am.
Please pass this event to your family and friends as there is always a wide variety of cars that attend and is well worth the look and see. Open to the public 10.00am Entry $20.00 with free parking.
Bernie Kant
President Z Club of NZ
