The police are still perceived as friendly, mostly incorruptible and helpful which, generally speaking, they are. If you do get arrested, you will be allowed one phone call; a solicitor will be appointed if you cannot afford one and you may be able to claim legal aid. It is unlikely that your consulate will take more than a passing interest unless there is something strange or unusual about the case against you.

The laws regarding alcohol consumption in New Zealand are pretty lenient, and unless you are actively causing trouble, the police will give you a wide berth. The same does not apply to drink driving , which is taken very seriously. Home-grown marijuana or "electric puha " (taken from the Maori, puha meaning watercress) has a reputation for being very potent and is pretty easily available. It is, however, illegal and although a certain amount of tolerance is sometimes shown towards personal use, the police and courts take a dim view of any tangles with hard drugs , handing out long custodial sentences. The general folk lore has it that all marijuana supply is handled by one of two warring gangs, the Mongrel Mob or Black Power, which is over simplifying the situation but it's worth bearing in mind that extreme violence erupts between them from time to time and in general it's best to avoid members of either group. Gangs tend to be easily identifiable, most of them like to wear black, sport traditional tattoos and wrap around sunglasses, as well as seriously deficient hair cuts. Of course not all gang members look exactly like this but if you come across someone who does you probably wouldn't want to talk to them anyway.