Demerit Points in New Zealand: How the System Works

New Zealand's demerit points system tracks certain driving offences against your licence. Reach 100 or more demerit points within any 2-year period and NZTA suspends you from driving for 3 months, but a ticket generated by a speed camera carries zero demerit points.

This is general information about New Zealand law, not legal advice. For your own situation, consult a lawyer or your local Community Law centre.

How the demerit points system works

NZTA records demerit points against your driver licence whenever you are convicted of, or pay an infringement fee for, certain driving offences. Each offence carries a fixed number of points, set out in the Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999.

Points stay active for 2 years from the date of the offence. If your running total from offences within any 2-year window reaches 100 or more, NZTA suspends your licence for 3 months. This is an administrative suspension, separate from and additional to any fine, and it applies regardless of whether the underlying offences were fines only or also involved a court appearance.

The offence-to-points table for common offences

The points for speeding rise with how far over the limit you were caught:

• Up to 10 km/h over the limit: 10 points
• 11 to 20 km/h over the limit: 20 points
• 21 to 30 km/h over the limit: 35 points
• 31 to 35 km/h over the limit: 40 points
• More than 35 km/h over the limit: 50 points

Other common offences and their points:

• Using a handheld mobile phone while driving: 20 points
• Breaking a learner or restricted licence condition: 35 points
• Failing or refusing a breath or blood alcohol test: 50 points
• Careless use of a vehicle: 35 points

This is not the complete list. NZTA's demerit points page sets out points for a wide range of other offences, including vehicle registration and equipment breaches, pedestrian crossing offences, and commercial driving logbook breaches.

Why camera-detected speeding carries zero demerit points

This is the point most drivers get wrong. A speeding ticket generated by a fixed or mobile speed camera carries no demerit points at all. NZ Police confirm this directly: "there are no demerit points for safe speed camera infringement notices."

The reason is evidentiary, not lenient. A camera photographs the vehicle, and the infringement notice is issued to the vehicle's registered owner under New Zealand's owner-liability rules for camera offences, whether or not that person was actually driving. Because demerit points are meant to track an individual driver's record, they can only be attached to an offence where a person, not a vehicle, has been identified as the driver, which is why the points only apply when a police officer detects the offence in person and issues the ticket to the driver directly.

The practical effect: two tickets for exactly the same speed over the limit can have very different consequences. An officer-issued ticket for 25 km/h over the limit carries 35 demerit points. The same speed caught on camera carries none, only the infringement fee. The fine itself does not change based on how the offence was detected, only the demerit points do. See speeding fines in New Zealand for the fine bands and how they apply either way.

What happens if you reach 100 points

Once your points reach 100 or more within a 2-year period, NZTA suspends your licence for 3 months. Your photo driver licence is permanently cancelled at that point, so getting back on the road afterward is not just a matter of waiting out the suspension.

To drive again once the suspension ends, you must apply for a new licence at a driver licensing agent, complete an application, prove your identity, pass an eyesight check, and have a new photo taken. A demerit-points suspension of 3 months does not require you to re-sit a driving test; NZTA only requires retesting after a disqualification or suspension of more than 12 months.

How to check your demerit points

You can check your current demerit points total in a few ways:

• Online through NZTA's online services, using a verified RealMe identity.
• Through the NZTA mobile app, also using a verified RealMe identity.
• By calling NZTA on 0800 822 422.
• By ordering a free "demerit points and suspension history" report from NZTA, which covers the last 7 years and is emailed to you; you can apply for this with a verified RealMe identity, or by phone if you do not have one.

Your court conviction history is held separately by the Ministry of Justice, so a demerit points check will not show the underlying convictions, only the points themselves.

Demerit points vs the 28-day roadside suspension

The 100-point demerit suspension is not the only way to lose your licence for speeding. Police can also issue an immediate 28-day roadside suspension on the spot, taking your licence there and then, for speeding well over the limit. That suspension works on the same camera-versus-officer distinction as demerit points: it can only be issued by an officer at the roadside, never by a speed camera. See speeding fines in New Zealand for the exact thresholds and how the two penalties interact.

Related New Zealand driving topics

For the full fine schedule by how far over the limit you were caught, see speeding fines in New Zealand. For the full driving and traffic section, see the New Zealand driving law hub.