Photo: 123RF
The government is pledging to turn around "a long-standing slackness" in collecting court fines by stepping up the seizure of offenders' vehicles.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says bailiffs are now trialling handheld devices that scan number plates on parked cars to flag unpaid fines or reparations.
If there was a match, the vehicle could be clamped or towed.
"If you haven't paid your court fines, you may soon find yourself walking home or needing a lift," Goldsmith said.
The new technology would also be deployed at police breath testing checkpoints this weekend.
"We promised to find new effective ways to force people to pay their court fines. That's exactly what we're delivering. We know wheel clamping is already a successful enforcement tool and we want to build on that.
"There's been a long-standing slackness when it comes to bringing in fines and I've given very strong instructions to the Ministry of Justice to find ways to collect them."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
