Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown fined $150 for video phone call while driving

• Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was fined $150 and given 20 demerit points for using his phone while driving.
• Brown apologised for the incident, which was recorded during a council transport committee meeting.
• Police and the Government have signalled a tougher crackdown on drivers using mobile phones.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has been fined $150 plus 20 demerit points for making a video call on his mobile phone.

In response to a video recording showing Brown addressing the council’s transport committee on April 3, the police today said the driver received an infringement for using a hand-held mobile phone.

The fine is $150 and 20 demerit points, the police said.

Brown admitted the offence to the Herald on April 9 and apologised for the error of judgment.

The live stream recording of the council’s transport committee meeting on April 3 shows Brown beaming into the meeting on a video call to question officials from Auckland Transport while driving.

On the item about time-of-use charging, often called congestion charging, Brown is seen and heard talking into a mobile phone for about 40 seconds, and looks down at times.

At the end of his questions, transport committee chairman Andy Baker said: “Thank you, happy driving.”

Wayne Brown has been fined for making a video call on his mobile phone while driving.

“Recognising the importance of the discussion, he continued to listen on his phone while driving to his next engagement, hands-free," a mayoral office statement said.

After the story was published, Brown compared his self-driving to the limousine perks of Cabinet ministers.

“The real story you should have asked [about] is that ministers you have never heard of get a BMW and a driver. The most important mayor in New Zealand doesn’t get any of those things.”

A council spokesperson said the Remuneration Authority allows the mayor to have a vehicle for business and private use, and the mayoral office has a BYD Seal Dynamic EV.

“The mayoral office may choose to appoint a driver, or office staff may carry out those duties.”

Guidance was provided to the mayoral office when it was established.

Auckland Council’s first mayor, Len Brown, had a chauffeur-driven V6 Calais, which former mayor Phil Goff did away with for an electric car from the council’s fleet for mayoral duties.

Former Auckland Mayor Phil Goff used an electric car from the council's fleet for mayoral duties. Photo / Michael Craig

Brown has not said where he was driving when he made the video call, or how long he was on the call.

Both police and the Government have in recent months signalled a crackdown on drivers using their mobile phones. In February, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was willing to consider higher penalties for motorists.

“People should not be on their phones while driving,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast.

The number of drivers fined by police for using their phones rose 25% between 2022 and 2023, with nearly 60,000 tickets handed out last year.

So far, the Government has not announced any changes to how distracted drivers are penalised.

In 2022, a pilot programme had the Transport Agency Waka Kotahi roll out cameras capable of detecting when a driver was using their phone.

In the first two months of the six-month trial, more than 50,000 “potential mobile phone use offences” were detected. Police were not involved in the trial, and the findings did not lead to enforcement action or warning letters.

The Herald is seeking comment from Brown about the fine.

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