More fines were being collected with an additional $20 million expected to be paid back in the coming year, MPs were told today.
Officials today appeared before Parliament's justice select committee.
Justice Ministry deputy secretary of operations Liz Sinclair said the amount of fines and reparation owing had dropped from $800m to $757m in the year to date.
Collections were "really making some inroads into that."
She said there were also fewer overdue fines and repartions.
A projected $254m would be collected this financial year compared with $241m last year and $233m the year before that.
Collections general manager Bryre Patchell (correct) said the organisation had made changes to make it easier for people to pay and had been given more powers. That was expected to result in an additional $20m in fines and reparation a year.
However there would always be some who could not pay.
"Often as not people who are at the sharp end of compliance are often before the court on other matters.
"If they are perhaps up before the courts for an offense that might mean going to prison then the judge may take into account the fines they've got there...not every debt in the book is able to be paid."
