A series of alcohol breath testing devices rolled out in July is being investigated after the discovery of a fault.
Manufacturer Draeger Safety says it "sincerely regrets the situation that has arisen" with its Draeger 7510 breathalyser and is doing all it can to ensure the calibration problem is resolved in all 400 affected devices.
"We are focused on completing the testing on all of these instruments and working with the New Zealand Police to uncover the actual cause of the problem quickly," the company says.
The problem potentially allowed drunk drivers across the country to get off scot-free because correct alcohol levels were not registering on the devices.
The impacted devices have only been marginally inaccurate, but any tickets issued from a dodgy device could be argued in court – meaning the withdrawal is a precautionary tactic, said Superintendent Steve Greally.
Draeger says the investigation is likely to take a few days, and some of the devices have been sent back to Germany, so older model devices are being used by police in the interim.
The devices installed in booze buses and stations are also still fully operational and unaffected by the recall, so drunk driving enforcement will not be affected.
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