Janis Powers says she is "surprised" by the strong reaction to her article from New Zealanders.

In an article on The Huffington Post writer Janis Powers took aim at Timaru police, comparing an incident which culminated in US woman Sandra Bland dying in police custody, to a run-in she had with a Timaru officer after being caught speeding. Powers was subsequently breathalysed.

Powers said it was fortunate the United States did not use the "New Zealand model of police entrapment to catch drunk drivers". Powers wrote if she had access to a "checkpoint watch" Facebook page she "might have avoided a breach of my civil rights".

But in a statement to Fairfax Media, Powers said she did not have an issue with New Zealand police.

"I take no issue with the Timaru police department or the officer that administered my test. The officer was fulfilling the requirements of his duty, and while in the country, I complied with your regulations," she said.

She believed the feedback to her article, much of which was critical, showed an "agree to disagree situation".

"I am surprised about the reaction from the New Zealand community. There is clearly a lot of Kiwi pride, which I respect.

"That being said, I have a lot of pride as an American. My post was written from the perspective of an American, living in Texas. And folks in Texas treasure civil liberties. Having read the feedback, I believe we have an agree to disagree situation," Powers wrote said.

Powers' did not say whether she would apologise to Bland's family and to Timaru police.

READ MORE:

* American writer takes aim at Timaru cops

* Former Timaru man starts petition calling for Janis Powers to apologise

In a Facebook post on Thursday Powers said her article was about the "over-extension of law enforcement". She said her breath test in Timaru "was a symbol of how law enforcement has lost sight of using plain common sense when enforcing the law".

"I interpret the type of regulation that requires me to take a breathalyser test because I was speeding as one that assumes guilt before innocence. But, as noted in my article, I took the test as required because I was in a foreign country.

"The parallel between my incident in New Zealand and with the Sandra Bland case is the frustration that the presumption of guilt before innocence is starting to seep into our cultural fabric. That frustration was manifest in Sandra Bland's behaviour. And it was felt by me in a place where I least expected it – in the welcoming and friendly country of New Zealand," Powers wrote.

The article was a "cautionary tale for Americans".

"As we debate how to give law enforcement the power it needs to keep our citizens safe, it may be helpful to look outside of our borders to learn about practices from around the world.

"I never proposed that the laws in New Zealand should be changed. But that doesn't mean that I have to like them," Powers said.

Mass transportation would be Powers' choice if she ever returned to New Zealand, she wrote.

On Wednesday former Timaru man Shane Harris who now lives in California, started a petition calling for Powers to apologise to Bland's family and Timaru police. He called her rationale "idiotic".