Taika Waititi reads a hilarious letter about a speeding ticket

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.

[christiangibbs]

"Driving to Auckland at mach one." This writer is a comedic genius.

[kategleason]

"I wouldn't be at all disappointed if we decided to let this one go"
Brilliant!

[emmett.francis]

Having been a NZ Police mobile traffic cam operator, I can say at the PIB office Xmas party, that this would have been read out & everyone would have laughed & laughed & laughed. Raised a glass to this character.

[wes]

The writer of this letter deserves every laugh and round of applause that they received.

[jwvandegronden]

This letter is so well written! I hate Justin Lee for having such gifted and wicked sense of humor! _"... So I rang mum!"_ Had me burst out in laughter! So glad he took the time to find and translate the humor of the situation into something we now all can enjoy. Thanks Lee!!

And thank you Taika Waitiki for doing an excellent job in translating the letter into spoken word performance matching the wit of the letter! Well done mate!

[Rk]

Imagine being the cop who opened the envelope and read this letter for the first time… 😂

[cambennett]

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." (NZ Herald)

[Inevitable.Change]

Taika Waititi makes himself the perfect person to read this hilarious letter. His body language supports the cheeky tone.

[edwinaflannery]

What an amazing choice of the reader...he said it all...in absolutely the right way

[leisti]

The only time in my life I've received a traffic fine was when I was resident in New Zealand, in the late 2000s (the decade). I was on a sightseeing trip, driving near the easternmost point of North Island, on my way back to Auckland. It was a gravel road. A curve to the right approached, and as my speed was excessive for the curve, I applied the brake.

The gravel was so loose that the car lost all traction, so it slid into the ditch, flipped over, and came to a stop resting on its right-hand side, being propped up by a wooden fence post. I was shaken but uninjured, and exited the vehicle through the broken rear window. Motorists driving by alerted the fire department (unneeded) and the police. I explained the situation to the police officer.

He was fairly understanding, yet did issue me a traffic fine. The reason written on the fine: "Failed to drive entirely within the lane."

[animerlon]

Taika Waititi did such a great job delivering this. 👏 His timing, body language & expressions were spot on. Mind you, Justin Lee gave him great material to work with, absolutely hilarious. I imagine he had a lot of fun writing it.

[caravanlifenz]

I'm glad to hear Justin had an excellent weekend at the music festival in Mystery Creek near Hamilton.

[deldridg]

As an Aussie, I'm still stuck at the bit where a speeding fine only costs $120.

[julesw]

I love a smart ass who puts forth a solid effort for the betterment of mankind.

[mitchweiner]

Sometimes the YouTube algorithm sends me channels that make sense based on my searches and sometimes I wind up with suggestions like this and I’m glad! This is priceless!😂

[UBERTAMMY]

This was too good. That letter sounds as if it could have been written by Taika himself. ❤

[Roses-lilac]

I received an automatic notice of a speeding offence on a motorway in Ireland. On the date in question I was, and my car was, out of the country. The police refused to acknowledge my claim until I produced a receipt for the airport car park in a different country. And a copy of my airline ticket, boarding pass and luggage tag. Of course there was no acknowledgement of the mistake, or, perish the thought, an apology. “But the computer said you were speeding” was the reply. “But computers only say what people tell them to say”, I replied. No comment…

[LuinTathren]

That was fantastic! Both the letter and the delivery by Taika Waititi. LOL

[janicekrieger]

Just Well written Justin Lee and well read Taika!!!!

[kurofune.uragabay]

One of the funniest things I've ever heard/seen here _in the tubes_ . Mr Lee has a wicked sense of humour, and Taika's delivery does it justice, simply perfect 🙏