She was followed by a member of the public who noticed her driving erratically and crossing the centre line.
Police were notified and De Koning was stopped on Kiripaka Rd, Tikipunga. Breath tests returned a reading of 1084mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit for people 20 years and over is 400mcg.
De Koning told police she had three glasses of wine that morning but drank nothing after 10am and acknowledged she was on her way to work at the paediatric ward.
Her first drink-driving conviction was in July 2010 when she blew 521mcg.
Police asked Judge Greg Davis for an order to confiscate the vehicle De Koning was driving because she had a similar conviction before her latest offending. No order was made because of a dispute over ownership.
Judge Davis also indefinitely disqualified De Koning from holding or obtaining a driver's licence.
Northland road safety co-ordinator Gillian Archer said De Koning's case was a double tragedy - she had notched another conviction and lost her job, and the country had lost someone with badly needed nursing skills.
