And in another high-level proposal, up to 40% of police in major cities will no longer be able to use guns - a move away from the current system, where every officer receives firearms training.
The new-look "transport enforcement officers" proposal would be a return to the former Ministry of Transport, which patrolled New Zealand's roads in black-and-white cars until the early 1990s.
The new officers would remain under the umbrella of the police.
Police Commissioner Howard Broad said yesterday he was "quite uncomfortable" with fully sworn police being used for road policing, as they were often just "sitting there with their radar gun".
He told Parliament's law and order select committee he wanted to use laws that allowed him to designate traffic enforcement officers, while also making greater use of technology such as speed cameras for road policing.
The move would free up police officers for other duties, such as neighbourhood policing, he said.
At present, civilians are used to man speed camera vans, but only police officers can operate a radar gun, because motorists are stopped at the time.
Mr Broad said he could give these limited powers under the Policing Act's "authorised officers" component, and some motorway support officers in Auckland were already operating under this designation.
No timeframe was given for the move, but Mr Broad said last night national discussion was needed about the "optimum mix" of sworn officers, authorised officers and speed cameras for road policing.
Police Association president Greg O'Connor praised the commissioner's "brave call", which he said was a tacit admission the 1992 merger of the Ministry of Transport officers with the police was a mistake.
Until the merger, the public's only dealings with police were as victims of crime, and so there was a greater respect, he said.
Traffic policing has been controversial, particularly because of the so-called "ticket quotas".
Mr Broad also discussed a proposal to stop firearms training for officers unlikely to require it, while increasing the training for those most likely to find themselves in a dangerous situation.
Under the proposal, 40% of Auckland police would not be able to use firearms, and be trained only in the use of the baton and pepper spray.
Meanwhile, a critical response unit would be established to deal with callouts around the clock.
Police in rural areas would still get full firearms training.
Mr Broad became angry when the subject of the Napier siege - in which gunman Jan Molenar shot one police officer dead, and open fire on others - was raised yesterday.
"Those police officers who did go in there [to rescue the wounded] without firearms, went in on humanitarian grounds, and they recovered people.
"They did an extremely good job in an extremely courageous way. They did not need to have firearms to do that."
Mr O'Connor called the proposed firearms policy "a recipe for disaster", that would leave the police "out-gunned".
- Patrick Gower of the NZ Herald.
