The hirers of a Wicked Campers van seen in Mount Maunganui Saturday night drove off when they saw photos were being taken of the paint job depicting a bikini clad woman on one side an embracing couple on the other.

Public complaints about the van hire company's scenes and slogans earlier this year resulted in the Office of the Chief Censor banning three of the company's messages iin April, saying they met the criteria for objectionable publications.

The international van rental company was raising the ire of the public with slogans that were deemed to promote drugs and violence.

The ban came on the back of the avalanche of complaints and Associate Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett's campaign against the vans saying slogans which promoted drug use and sexual violence "totally overstep the mark”.

If Wicked Campers, an Aussie brand, continue to use the banned slogans it will face a fine of up to $200,000 for each offence.

Wicked Camper's sexist slogans also caused offence in Australia. Queensland took action against the vans in November, introducing legislation revoking the registration of commercial operators who refuse to remove offensive slogans from their vehicles.

The SunLive reader who sent in the photos didn't give their name, but says the van's paint job raised a few eyebrows.

The paint job on the passenger's side appears to have been partly painted over.