A policeman in the Bay of Plenty town of Opotiki was shocked to discover a woman he pulled over for drink-driving had a baby on her lap and two other young children unrestrained in her car.
Police stopped the 24-year-old woman in Opotiki on Friday morning, after receiving information from a member of the public.
Senior Constable Doug Henry told Fairfax the woman recorded a breath alcohol reading of 780 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, nearly twice the legal limit.
She was also a disqualified driver.
Sen Const Henry thought the baby was eight to nine months old.
The woman had been drinking through the night and said she'd had an argument with a man, Sen Const Henry said.
Despite catching drink-drivers with unrestrained children before, he said this incident shocked him, "particularly the little baby sitting on her knee".
Child, Youth and Family has been alerted.
The woman will appear in court in Opotiki on June 25, charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and driving while disqualified.
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