Home | Browse Topics | Criminal & traffic law | Driving and traffic law | Enforcement powers of police and parking wardens

Criminal & traffic law

Enforcement powers of police and parking wardens

Overview

The main traffic legislation, the Land Transport Act 1998, gives police officers a range of traffic enforcement powers.

Land Transport Act 1998, s 2

Those powers also extend to certain other traffic enforcement staff who come within the definition of “enforcement officer”, the term used by the Land Transport Act (see below). The various powers explained in the section below, “Police: Their traffic enforcement powers” also apply to those other officers.

“Enforcement officers” include:

    • police officers
    • other police employees authorised by the Police Commissioner to be enforcement officers, and other people appointed to the role by the Commissioner (they can be appointed for specific purposes only – for example, the local council transport staff who are appointed as official ticket inspectors with the fare evasion powers in the Land Transport Act. See in this chapter “Riding buses and trains without paying: ‘Fare evasion’”
  • employees of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) appointed as enforcement officers for certain purposes, such as enforcing rules about driving hours and logbooks.

Note: Parking wardens aren’t “enforcement officers”. Parking wardens have a specific set of powers (see below, “Parking wardens: Their powers”).

Did this answer your question?

Driving and traffic law

Where to go for more support

Community Law

www.communitylaw.org.nz

Your local Community Law Centre can provide free initial legal advice and information.

Applying for a limited licence” (guide)

This Plain English guide, plus template application forms and affidavits, will help you apply for a limited licence. It’s available on the Community Law website – www.communitylaw.org.nz

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)

www.nzta.govt.nz

Phone: 0800 699 000
Email: info@nzta.govt.nz

The NZTA site provides a wide range of driving and road safety information, including on topics covered in this chapter.

You can read and download fact sheets and other publications from their site, or you can order hard copies by contacting them, including their fact-sheet on Legal mobile phone use while driving.

www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/Safety/docs/legal-mobile-phone-use-while-driving-fact-sheet-june-2020.pdf

NZ Police

Frequently Asked Questions

www.police.govt.nz/advice/faq

The “Driving/road safety” and “Tickets/infringements” section of this webpage have Frequently Asked Questions about traffic fines, speeding, demerit points and where you can pay your fines.

Consumer protection

“Parking, towing and clamping”

www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/help-product-service/cars/parking-clamping-towing

This Consumer Protection webpage has information about the law covering tow trucks and wheel-clamping on public and private property, and about unreasonable fees in private car parks.

Also available as a book

The Community Law Manual

The Manual contains over 1000 pages of easy-to-read legal info and comprehensive answers to common legal questions. From ACC to family law, health & disability, jobs, benefits & flats, Tāonga Māori, immigration and refugee law and much more, the Manual covers just about every area of community and personal life.

Buy The Community Law Manual

Help the manual

We’re a small team that relies on the generosity of all our supporters. You can make a one-off donation or become a supporter by sponsoring the Manual for a community organisation near you. Every contribution helps us to continue updating and improving our legal information, year after year.

Donate Become a Supporter

Find the Answer to your Legal Question

back to top