Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour appears to have been caught speeding and undertaking a motorist on State Highway 1 in Auckland.
In a video posted to Reddit, an Act-branded car with Seymour’s face on it can be seen passing a fellow motorist from the left-hand lane.
According to the NZTA’s road rules, drivers can only pass on the left when there are two or more lanes on your side of the centre line and you’re able to pass safely by using the left-hand lane, a police officer gives direction to or if the vehicle being passed has stopped, is signalling a right turn or is turning right.
“At all other times when you’re passing, you must pass on the right,” the NZTA said.
The person filming shows their speedometer, which sits at just under 110km/h, and then pans to the car with Seymour’s face on accelerating ahead.
“Had this guy riding my tailpipe for a good whack on SH1, he must have hit the snooze button a few too many times this morning,” the person who posted the video said.
“I gave it a touch of the jandal to gain a bit of distance from him, but it wasn’t enough – as soon as there was the slightest gap, he shot up the inside, undertook and started tailgating the next in line.
“He must have been doing 20 over the posted speed limit.”
Commenters on the post weren’t too sympathetic with the person filming, with many noting the driver was on their phone while driving.
“Keep left unless passing and get off your phone. You’re the one driving poorly here,” said one commenter.
In a statement Seymour said it was the Deputy Prime Minister in the car and he was happy with the general tone of the comments.
“Good to see the Reddit commenters could understand what sort of person this is without even needing to be there,” he said.
“If memory serves, the person in front of me was driving erratically, speeding up and slowing down in the right lane.”
The NZTA said a phone can be used while driving in limited circumstances such as the driver making a 111 call.
Phones can also be used to make or receive an audio call, for music, or for navigation if it is properly mounted or operated hands-free.
The NZTA said phones can’t be operated legally for any other purposes while driving.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was fined $150 and given 20 demerit points for using his phone while driving in April this year.
Auckland Council’s transport committee showed Brown talking into a mobile phone for about 40 seconds and looking down at times.
Brown admitted the offence to the Herald and apologised for the error of judgment.