Police are carrying out significantly fewer roadside breath tests than they used to, new figures show.
That's despite a high road toll with many crashes involving alcohol.
Data released to the AA under the Official Information Act (OIA) revealed a 40% reduction in the number of breath tests carried out nationwide over the last five years. In Northland, there's been a 67% drop.
"Northland also had the the highest number of fatalities per head of population," Northland AA District Chair Tracey Rissetto said.
"In fact, last year, we reached a seven-year peak of 13 fatalities through drink driving."
Police said they don't have enough staff to carry out regular checkpoints - but they would be getting help from colleagues this summer.
"The obvious thing was Covid, that obviously took an impact on our policing," Senior Sergeant Haydn Korach of Far North Police said.
"We are building up to our numbers now, and I know that we've done 2.2 million already this year.
"Northland police will be focused on the rural roads and some of the beach locations this summer, and we'll be getting out with some of our Auckland colleagues and Whangārei colleagues as well."
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