SEIZED FOR UNPAID FINES: Vintage Bently; large-screen television

With more than $11 million of outstanding fines in Northland, court staff are making no apologies for a three-week blitz targeting fine dodgers.
A vintage car and big-screen television are among the property seized from people who failed to cough up fine payments.
During the raids - which focussed Hikurangi and Dargaville areas - court bailiffs and police also stumbled on cannabis and young children left alone at home.
Northland district collections manager Craig Crawford said $25.8 million was owed in fines in Northland. Of that, about $11 million was classed as outstanding or overdue.
Court staff were issued with 200 warrants, allowing them to seize property from people with overdue fines, with most of those warrants executed in the past three weeks.
As a result, two cars - including a rare vintage Bentley - were seized, along with a big-screen TV, laptop and stereo. Six other vehicles were clamped.
Property owners have seven days to pay their overdue fines or risk having the goods auctioned off.
Mr Crawford said more than $7000 of an estimated $361,000 of overdue fines had been paid and others had made arrangements to pay up.
Fines defaulters not traced may face a nasty surprise at the airport - being barred from leaving the country.
"We've even had cases of people from Northland trying to get back into the country being made to pay [outstanding fines] before being allowed back though Customs - so it can also stop you getting back in again," he said.
Mr Crawford said the unpaid fines included those imposed by the courts, district and regional councils, Ministry of Fisheries staff and police.
As well as the warrants and seizures, courts staff could also recover outstanding fines from a person's pay or benefit.
About $19.2 million of fines issued in Northland are from Whangarei, including about $8.8 million in overdue fines.
Dargaville Senior Sergeant Sue Leach said police were happy to help with the search warrants, which sometimes led to unexpected bonuses, including a cannabis bust and a home where three children aged five, nine and 13 were left alone at home.
"These operations will be ongoing so people should get out and start making arrangements to pay their fines if they don't want police and bailiffs at their homes."