Hundreds of boy racers spent Saturday night in a cat-and-mouse chase with police across Auckland as the Prime Minister warns that the drivers’ “days are coming to an end”.
The car enthusiasts had promoted last night as the “Auckland invasion” and the Herald tracked groups of vehicles to several locations – including Manukau, Onehunga, Westgate, Penrose and Drury.
At each spot, police vehicles – including marked cars, unmarked units and vans – were deployed, keeping close eyes on those gathered. The Eagle helicopter, too, kept watch from above.
Each time the cops arrived, the group used Snapchat to share details for the next location, one driver revealed.
At Westgate, attendees were seen letting off fireworks and filming the cars as they drifted metres away from their bodies.
The final meeting spot was at the intersection of Waikato’s State Highway 2 and Rawiri Rd.
Hundreds of vehicles descended there, with several drivers revving engines, performing burnouts and drifting across the road.
While the Eagle helicopter zeroed in on the meet-up, the Herald understands officers were told to hold back – moving in only after the illegal driving had ceased.
Drivers who the Herald spoke to across the night claimed the racers weren’t looking to cause trouble, only that they needed somewhere that could properly accommodate them.
“All we want to do is show off our rides, do some skids and burn rubber – it’s life,“ one said.
“We need somewhere to do it, straight up. We’re not going anywhere.”
“It’s a waste of police resources eh, but just let us be us,” another said.
“We don’t got anywhere to go, so we hit streets that aren’t residential. Simple as.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, speaking to media today, said it’s been “incredibly frustrating” for communities that are having to deal with boy racers “several times a week”.
“You’ve actually got to be a safe driver ... You can’t just end up causing inconvenience and pain and suffering for your fellow Kiwi citizens.”
He acknowledged the Government has legislation coming before the House that aims to impose a crackdown on boy racing activities.
“We want people to be safe and we don’t want people inconvenienced. Communities are fed up with it,” Luxon said.
“So I’m sorry, but the boy racers out there, your days are coming to an end because we’ve got some pretty tough penalties coming that way around your cars.”
Police in Auckland say officers ordered multiple vehicles off the road during last night’s gathering.
“Police, with air support from the Police Eagle helicopter, were out on the streets last night, keeping the gathering in check,” police said.
“More than 2500 drivers were breath-tested, with more than 15 drivers recording excess breath alcohol.
“Police issued a further 70 infringements, had 71 vehicles sent for inspection, issued 33 green stickers and six pink stickers and impounded five vehicles.”
Inspector Regan James said there was no significant disruption to the public despite the large number of road users.
“Dozens of police units worked hard to disrupt the approximately 200 vehicles participating in the event,” he said.
“We saw some illegal behaviour, including performing burnouts and other driving offences, but our staff did well to monitor and disrupt the group’s plans.
“Police intervention was strong and quick from the jump, and we were able to break up convoys and monitor behaviour effectively.”
James said police were now working to find other vehicles and drivers.
“We are all too familiar with the havoc this behaviour wreaks in our communities and have been very clear – we have no tolerance for it," he said.
“I think that was made very clear by our response this weekend.”
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