The Transportation Ministry in New Zealand passed a new law on cell phones recently that is set to go into effect on November 1st. The new law makes it illegal to use a cell phone inside a vehicle for sending texts and for any other use.

That means that it would be illegal to use the phone as a navigation device and a music player as well. The law is called the Road User Amendment Rule 2009. The rule banned the use of a mobile phone even if mounted in a hands free kit.

However, the restriction would not have applied to stand alone navigation devices. "You can use a mobile phone held in a cradle while driving, but only to make, receive or terminate a phone call. You cannot use them in any other way, such as reading a GPS map, reading email, or consulting an electronic diary."