Burnouts left on a Canterbury road after a skid meet. Photo: Supplied / Police
Police have impounded cars, issued infringement notices and ordered vehicles off the road after eight illegal 'skid meets' in Canterbury overnight.
About 100 cars were involved in the illegal activity, with police interrupting six skid meets in Christchurch and two in Rolleston.
Inspector Craig Scott said three vehicles were impounded for sustained loss of traction, and 18 infringement notices were issued to other drivers.
Two vehicles were given green stickers for compliance issues, while another was deemed unsafe and given a pink sticker, preventing it from being driven.
"We have seen too many instances where this illegal behaviour has put lives at risk, caused injury, and created unrest in our communities," he said.
"The results of last night's operation in Canterbury show that we're pushing back on this unwanted activity."
Police were not standing for this kind of behaviour, he said.
One of the vehicles that will be impounded after police broke up a skid meet in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Police
"Canterbury Police will have a much larger presence on the roads from tonight.
"We're sending a message to everyone who takes part in these events: Expect us to be waiting for you."
It was not just Canterbury that would have increased police presence, however - police across both the North and South Island were on high alert.
Additional staff and resources - including the Police Eagle helicopter - had been redeployed to support several operations taking place over the long weekend throughout Aotearoa, police said.
Motorists would notice an increased police presence on the roads, they said.
"We ask the public to be patient with us as we work across the weekend - Eagle is highly effective and one of our best tools available to target this type of behaviour," Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables said.
"If you hear the helicopter overhead, please don't be alarmed - we hope you will be reassured that we are taking action against illegal activity in your community."
Scott asked the public to get in touch if they had information about the meets, including details of cars, license plate numbers of what streets they were meeting on.
"We're asking the community for as much information as possible about these anti-social gatherings," he said.