Recovering outstanding fines and reparation remains a priority

Minister for Courts, Georgina te Heuheu has commended Court collections staff who participated in a joint operation alongside North Shore Police recently, which saw Warrants to Seize for unpaid fines issued amounting to over $17,000.00.

Seven vehicles worth $12,312.28 were seized during the operation which ran from 6pm Thursday until 2am on Friday morning.  A further $5,209.50 was paid during the course of the operation.

More than 10,600 vehicles were stopped and drivers tested for alcohol consumption as part of the operation, with Ministry of Justice collections officers checking for unpaid fines, resulting in either vehicle seizure or on-the-spot payments being made.

Minister te Heuheu said that the recovery of unpaid fines and reparation "remained a priority for the Government". 

"Courts continue to remain focussed on recovering outstanding fines and reparation and increasingly turn to more strategic means to do so.  By working regularly with the Police, the community can see that addressing outstanding fines is a priority area for us", she said.

The court's success in recovering unpaid fines and reparation has been increasing year-on-year.  A total of $254.8 million of fines and reparation was collected (either in full or under a payment arrangement) within 12 months of imposition in the 2010 financial year to June.  This is up from $240.4 million collected in 2009 and $233.0 million in 2008.