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sl8

(16,853 posts) Fri Sep 5, 2025, 10:06 AM Sep 5

Taika Waititi reads a hilarious letter about a speeding ticket

7:28 min.

Taika Waititi reads a hilarious letter about a speeding ticket

Letters Live
2022 Oct 21

When Auckland resident Justin Lee received the above speeding ticket back in 2004, he noticed a typo: according to said notice, the infringement in question had taken place 30 years beforehand, in 1974, on the day he was born. His entertaining response was read by Taika Waititi at Letters Live at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2019.

This is the Letters Live channel description:

Letters Live is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the power of letters—bringing to life the intimacy, passion, humour, and raw emotion found in the written word. Each event features a surprise cast of remarkable performers, from Oscar-winning actors and beloved comedians to bestselling writers and iconic musicians, breathing new life into extraordinary correspondence.

For over a decade, Letters Live has captivated audiences in sold-out shows across London, Edinburgh, New York, and beyond. Every performance has supported carefully chosen charity partners, promoting literacy and championing the power of human connection.

As well as celebrating the pain, joy, wisdom and humour expressed in letters, Letters Live has from the outset been committed to promoting literacy and fundraising for charities, and each show raises vital funds for a selected charity partner – past charities have included the National Literacy Trust, Choose Love and the RNLI.

Text of letter:
https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/it-is-more-likely-that-i-was-doing

1 replies

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Highlight:

Taika Waititi reads a hilarious letter about a speeding ticket (Original Post) sl8 Sep 5 OP

The fine was cancelled: sl8 Sep 5 #1

sl8

(16,853 posts)

1. The fine was cancelled:

Reply to sl8 (Original post)

Fri Sep 5, 2025, 10:14 AM

Sep 5

From https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/happy-birthday-your-speeding-fines-cancelled/2KZBS7PZG55VHZBU26AXMCZODI/
(paywalled)

Happy birthday - your speeding fine's cancelled

11 Apr, 2004 09:49 PM
4 mins to read
By LOUISA CLEAVE

It began with a speeding fine and ended up with a New Zealand man's letter zooming around the world by email.

The South Auckland accountant's clever letter to police disputing a speeding fine has ended up in inboxes everywhere.

[...]

"So to recap, it appears that on my birthday on June 23, 1974, I crawled out of the maternity ward, hijacked a seriously high-powered Honda saloon with an automated number plate changing mechanism, drove to Auckland at close to Mach 1, was pulled over approaching the Bombay Hills and unwittingly changed the automated number plate changing mechanism to show the same number as a car I would come to own almost 30 years later (the chance of selecting the same number plate is a mere 1 in 308,915,776 - so quite conceivable)."

The police infringement bureau sent the following response to Mr Lee on March 30: "After careful consideration of your comments and the circumstances surrounding the issue of the notice, it has been decided on this occasion to waive the offence. Accordingly, you are no longer required to pay the infringement fee."

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