Sunday, February 15, 2026

Auckland speed camera destroyed amid revenue-gathering and surveillance backlash

Coastesville-Riverhead Highway speed camera

A fixed speed camera on the Coatesville-Riverhead Highway north of Auckland has been cut down with images circulating online showing the unit lying on the ground after reportedly being sliced with a disc grinder.

A tweet by @TheRedbaiter on X showed a video of Rodney Local Board Member and road safety campainger Geoff Upson at the scene of the incident.

The incident has sparked strong reaction online, with some commentators describing it as a sign of growing public frustration with what they see as excessive surveillance and revenue-driven enforcement.

The damaged camera has become a flashpoint in wider debate around road policing tools and proposed congestion charging technology, which critics argue is more about sucking motorists dry of money rather than safety.

While authorities are expected to investigate the damage, the incident highlights rising tensions around automated enforcement and reflects a segment of public sentiment pushing back against expanding camera networks across parts of New Zealand.

Another video earlier this month showing a man abusing a new mobile speed camera and accusing the state of being ‘money hungry’ also attracted a lot of support.

WARNING: Video contains explicit language.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. NZ govt/parties are just Mafia style shake down artists. Their henchmen, the cops, are enforcers, as are the so called judiciary and the useless army. The MSM their propaganda arm.

    Its refreshing to see people push back, even if its only little things.

  2. These towed cameras should be approached on foot so not giving away your car’s registration and also wearing a balaclava which can be bought from motorcycle shops and then smashed up rendering them useless. Spray paint over the camera glass, knock off the surveillance cameras and cut off the valves on the wheels. Go much further if time is available.

  3. They set a new one up on the main road in my town. I have lived here for 30 years and there hasn’t been a single traffic accident in that time. Its about stealing more hard earned cash from kiwis, nothing to do with road safety

  4. Why are people worried about the surveillance aspect of this yet never seem to toss out their mobile phones which spy on them Twenty four seven, three sixty five. Seems to me that it’s too late to worry about the surveillance state it’s already here.

  5. Best position is the flat area in between the bases of two hills being on a main highway with surreptitiously
    positioned 100kph and 80kph conflicting signs telling you SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY with painted *high crash rate”
    DOCTORED LIES you of-course DARE not dispute the accuracy of, so therefore you bow in submission whilst eagerly
    handing overr your already quadruple-taxed money to an office (waspnest) of lizard-eyed snake CRIMINALS cackling
    amonst themselves in back-slapping amusement at just what a pathetic bunch of desperate sheep will do when ordered to.

  6. I have always questioned why is it OK for a police car to travel at 140km to catch up to a car travelling at 110km.

    Who is more danger to everyone on the road or beside it.

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