A Far North woman knew she shouldn't have listened to her partner when he asked her to drive him home after an afternoon on the booze - she was more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
Tina Leilani TEARIKI, 46, appeared in the Kaitaia District Court for sentencing on a charge of driving with an excess breath-alcohol level for a third or subsequent time after being stopped on Worth St, Kaitaia, at 7.20pm on May 31.
Teariki told police she had been drinking and a test showed she had 960 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, more than twice the 400mcg limit.
In explanation she told police: "My partner wanted me to take him home. I shouldn't have listened."
Teariki was sentenced to nine months' supervision and disqualified from driving indefinitely for her third drink-driving conviction.
Northland has the highest rate of recidivist drink-drivers in the country and the Northern Advocate is publishing its "name and shame" list of all people convicted of drink-driving offences in the region.
Also sentenced in Northland's courts recently were:
Mauretania PORTER, 38, 506mcg, 100 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for 12 months for her third drink-driving conviction.
Vanessa BEASLEY, 37, 775mcg, 100 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for nine months.
Jost MUROVEC, 30, 718mcg, 70 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for six months.
Kyle Kieran MESSENT, 17, 548mcg, $132 court costs, disqualified from driving for six months.
Greg Simon RAWAHO, 21, 818mcg, 100 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for nine months.
Tamara Jerka TE TUHI, 17, 287mcg, $300 fine, disqualified from driving for three months.
Haymish Cain BENNETT, 23, 776mcg, $800 fine, disqualified from driving for six months.
Annette Lynda MCGREGOR, 50, 643mcg, $650 fine, disqualified from driving for six months.
Louise TEKAHA, 49, 856mcg, $850 tine, $132 court costs, disqualified from driving for seven months.
Dillon Nuku COTTON, 24, concreter, 691mcg, 60 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for seven months.
Joshua Michael MALCOLM, 18, 653mcg, 12 months' supervision, disqualified from driving for six months.
Sharn Carlos SLADE, 21, 444mcg, 80 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for six months.
Legal limits: Aged 20 and above: 400mcg of alcohol per litre of breath; 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Under 20: Until August 7, it was 150mcg of alcohol per litre of breath; 30mg of alcohol per 100ml.
From August 7, it's zero tolerance. Young drivers with a blood-alcohol limit of between 0.00 and 0.03 (the legal limit for under 20-year-olds until August 7, 2011) will receive an infringement fee of $200 and 50 demerit points. Young drivers with a blood-alcohol limit over that will continue to be subject to the same drink-drive penalties as adults.