An affordable on-board security camera system is now available to all New Zealand taxi drivers thanks to one Tauranga company who has already helped police nab a violent offender.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has today announced that he will push to have security cameras made compulsory inside all taxis following a string of vicious attacks. Show Off Onboard Entertainment and Security has developed a unique way of ensuring taxi drivers can afford to install such crucial safety measures immediately.

Their system is already being used by almost 70 taxi drivers in Tauranga and Nelson, and security camera footage of one vicious attack has recently been handed to Tauranga police for use as evidence in an upcoming court case.

Show Off's general manager, Vanessa Malloy, says their product involves installing discreet security cameras positioned around the taxi in conjunction with 7 inch LCD screens in the back of the vehicle so local businesses can screen short advertisements to passengers. No sound will accompany the advertisements, so the taxi driver will not be distracted while on the road.

"Commission is paid on the advertising and this subsidises the associated security cameras.

"This is a real win-win situation," Malloy explains. "The taxi drivers now have a way of affording the extra 24 hour security they need, while local businesses have a unique opportunity to tap into a previously untouched advertising market," says Malloy.

There are over 55 million passengers per year that use taxis within the NZ Taxi Federation.

The advertising is transmitted through WiFi and once a supplier is secured, Show Off will also provide passengers with a live news and weather service.

The images of the driver and passengers that are taken from the security cameras are of high quality and are well protected, only the police or the authorized security company have access.

Already images have been used to secure convictions - in Palmerston North for a taxi fare evasion and in Nelson for a handbag theft.

Malloy says the company has been inundated with enquiries from taxi firms all over the country since the death of Auckland driver Hiren Mohini at the end of January. It was the second death of an on-duty taxi driver in 14 months, and there have been a number of serious assaults in the same period.

Show Off supports the New Zealand Taxi Federation's stance that security cameras should be made compulsory.

"The biggest concern received from taxi companies is the lack of funding for these units and this is where we can help. Our aim is to create a safer journey for both driver and passenger," Malloy says.

"We are working closely with large taxi fleets nationwide to help combat this problem. Drivers need the protection of 24 hour surveillance cameras to deter attacks and we don't want the cost to prevent them from installing technology that could help save their lives."