The live stream recording of the council’s transport committee meeting on April 3 shows Brown beaming into the meeting on a video call to question officials from Auckland Transport while driving.
On the item about time-of-use charging, often called congestion charging, Brown is seen and heard talking into a mobile phone for about 40 seconds, and looks down at times.
At the end of his questions, transport committee chairman Andy Baker said: “Thank you, happy driving.”
“Recognising the importance of the discussion, he continued to listen on his phone while driving to his next engagement, hands-free,” a mayoral office statement said.
After the story was published, Brown compared his self-driving to the limousine perks of Cabinet ministers.
“The real story you should have asked is that ministers you have never heard of get a BMW and a driver. The most important mayor in New Zealand doesn’t get any of those things.”
A council spokesperson said the Remuneration Authority allows the mayor to have a vehicle for business and private use, and the mayoral office has a BYD Seal Dynamic EV.
“The mayoral office may choose to appoint a driver, or office staff may carry out those duties,” said the spokesperson, saying this guidance was provided to the mayoral office when it was established.
Auckland Council’s first mayor, Len Brown, had a chauffeur-driven V6 Calais, which Mayor Phil Goff did away with for an electric car from the council’s fleet for mayoral duties.
Brown has not said where he was driving when he made the video call, or how long he was on the call.
Both police and the Government have in recent months signalled a tougher crackdown on drivers using their mobile phones. In February, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was willing to consider higher penalties for motorists.
“People should not be on their phones while driving,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast.
The number of drivers fined by police for using their phones rose 25% between 2022 and 2023, with nearly 60,000 tickets handed out last year.
So far, the Government has not announced any changes to how distracted drivers are penalised.
In 2022, a pilot programme had NZTA roll out cameras capable of detecting when a driver was using their phone.
In the first two months of the six-month trial, more than 50,000 “potential mobile phone use offences” were detected. Police were not involved in the trial, and the findings did not lead to enforcement action or warning letters.
The Herald is seeking comment from Brown about the fine.
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