Sergeant Chris Brook, of Queenstown Police, says the booze bus will operate in town over the Winter Festival period, which starts today and runs for 10 days.
But he believes drink-driving is a community problem and not something the police can solve alone.
Sgt Brook said: "Police do everything they possibly can to stop drink-driving ... [but] we're just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff sometimes.
"Friends and families need to police it amongst themselves as well, step up and take responsibly for their friends.
"We can't physically go out and stop everyone, so we rely on friends and family. We all own the problem.''
Sgt Brook is part of the Otago Lakes-Central Road Policing Unit, which has been relocated to Queenstown.
The unit is led by new Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson, who has moved from Counties Manukau Police, where he was a detective sergeant.
Sgt Brook was a senior sergeant in Canterbury, stepping down six months ago to take a position in Queenstown, where he served as a young officer in the 1990s.
He has moved to Queenstown with his family, which also motivates his overall approach to road policing.
"I just make sure my kids can get home from school safely; it's not hard.''
The unit itself has increased road police staffing levels generally, with officers rotated through other duties.
"We get officers from different parts of New Zealand applying for the jobs,'' Sgt Brook said.
"They bring their own spin, bring great ideas from other towns that they've learnt, keeping things fresh.''
One sergeant and six constables drawn in from other outlying police stations will staff the booze bus during the Winter Festival.
They will conduct random stops of vehicles at checkpoints over the 10 days and nights.
