The weekend police blitz on drink-driving and alcohol-fuelled unruly behaviour in Dunedin netted just 15 offenders - well down on similar operations in previous years.
Police in Invercargill said they made about half the normal number of weekend arrests, and in Queenstown there were 13 arrests for mostly disorder-related charges.
Senior Sergeant Kerry Joyce, of Christchurch, told NZPA there had been 50 arrests over a 24-hour period, which was not unusual.
Operation Unite was the first joint operation of its type between the two countries.
Emergency response commander Inspector Alastair Dickie, of Dunedin, said officers were pleased at the "generally orderly" behaviour during Operation Unite, held over Friday and Saturday. He said 32 officers - both road-policing and general duties staff - were rostered on to deal with alcohol-related problems in Dunedin.
About 4800 drivers were breath-tested at checkpoints and in mobile checks on city streets and only two people were found to be over the legal limit.
Both offenders were caught between 6am and 7am on Saturday.
One of the drivers was lucky to escape serious injury when his vehicle hit a tree near Logan Park.
He was found to be over the legal breath-alcohol limit.
Insp Dickie said the number caught drink-driving was "much less" than the 26 found to be over the limit last weekend, as a part of Operation Expect More Testing.
That operation continues through the holiday period.
"I was participating in a couple of road checkpoints overnight [on Saturday] and was impressed at the high number of taxis passing through these and an obvious reduction in traffic flow around the city."
Insp Dickie said public awareness of Operation Unite may have helped in reducing the number of offenders.
Violence and disorder incidents in the central city were also down on the number expected, despite the "reasonable number of intoxicated young people" evident on the streets of central Dunedin in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday, he said.
On Friday and Saturday nights, 10 people were arrested for disorderly behaviour and three for assault - well down on the 25 to 30 arrests police made on similar weekends in previous years, he said.
However, in Queenstown, Acting Sergeant Blair Duffy said it was "business as usual", as officers dealt with alcohol-related disorder in the centre of the resort.
As of yesterday afternoon, 13 arrests had been made, mainly for disorder-related offences.
There were no arrests for drink-driving, he said.
