New Zealand's most profitable mobile speed camera revealed

A large warning sign urging drivers to reduce their speed on a winding country road.
Photo credit: Getty

By Ben Strang of RNZ

Official figures show the police's most active and profitable mobile speed camera van parks up on State Highway 1 through Wellsford.

A mobile speed camera parked between Davies Road and School Road, a 50km/h zone, has issued 18,294 tickets since January 2018, worth $1.135 million.

The camera location has issued more than double the number of fines than the next most prolific location over that three year period.

The summer holiday period is the most common time for motorists to be hit with a fine through Wellsford.

In December last year, 3846 fines were issued worth $173,660.

That's 124 tickets and $5600 worth of fines every day.

The mobile speed camera dished out $123,340 worth of fines in January 2019, and $85,280 worth of tickets in January this year, while issuing thousands of fines.

Further north, State Highway 1 west of Kawakawa is the most profitable 100km/h stretch of road in New Zealand.

Between Moerewa and Pakaraka, $447,000 worth of fines have been issued by mobile cameras, to 3764 motorists.

The next highest amount on the open road is State Highway 1 between Taihape and Hunterville, where $375,760 worth of fines were issued to 4656 drivers.

Fines increase markedly during the summer months, as people head away for Christmas or New Year holidays.

RNZ