Services > Driver Licensing

Community Driver Mentor Programme

Find out more about the Community Driver Mentor Programme here:

Getting your Licence

Learning to drive? Drive.govt.nz have got heaps of cool stuff that will help you get confident behind the wheel. Check out the website here!

Getting your car driver licence in NZ involves a three-step process. As you progress through the stages you gain a new licence with fewer requirements and more responsibilities. It's an approach that ensures all fully licensed drivers have the skills and experience to drive safely on our roads.

Keep up to date with roading & licence information by liking AA New Zealand's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/aa.co.nz

Need some help getting ready for your licence?

Are you over 18? Driving on no licence or on the wrong licence? Wairarapa REAP hace Learner, Restricted & Full Licence courses. Aimed so you can pass first time! To find out when these are running, check out the Wairarapa REAP Events Calendar

Graduated licence System

The minimum age for obtaining class 1 (car) and class 6 (motorcycle) learner licence is 16 years. New minimum ages for obtaining restricted and full licences also apply.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/photo/gdls-changing.html

Restricted Licence Test Guide

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/photo/docs/restricted-test-guide.pdf

Full Licence Test Guide

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/photo/docs/full-test-guide.pdf

Road Code

The official New Zealand road code is a user-friendly guide to New Zealand's traffic law and safe driving practices. You will be tested on this information in your theory and practical driving tests.

Information in the Licence and study guide section will help you through each stage of your driver licence. It explains the driver licensing system in New Zealand, describes each stage of your driver licence and provides useful information about the theory and practical tests. It also includes most of the questions that you could be asked when you sit the theory test for your learner licence, and a driving skills syllabus to help you and your driving coach when you're learning to drive.

This guide is intended for drivers of cars and other light vehicles.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/road-code-index.html

Local Driving Instructors

Triple A Driver Training - Jackie Hill 06 370 3739 or 027 874 4390 - jackieandmike@xtra.co.nz
One Way Driving Academy - Steve Wakefield 06 379 7713 or 027 601 2126 - marieandstephen@wise.net.nz
Street Talk - Defensive Driving Courses & Driving Lessons - Geoff Phillips 021 874 477 or 06 378 0009 -

Changes to learner and restricted driver licences

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is consulting on the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Amendment Rule (No2) 2021.

The proposed Rule will revoke the five-year time-limit for the Class 1 and 6 learner and restricted licences, and revert them back to a standard 10-year validity (the same as the full licence) when a licence-holder renews their learner or restricted licence.

It will also remove the 90-day time restriction on renewal, allowing these licence holders to renew their licence any time before expiry, and will remove the requirement for the licence holder to re-sit and pass a theory test to renew their licence.

We want to hear what you think about these proposed changes.

Why are we consulting?

Consultation is being carried out to ensure legislation is sound and robust, and the Rule development process considers the views of, and impact on, those people and organisations affected by the proposed Rule.

This consultation has two parts:

Please read the overview carefully and consider the effects the proposed Rule changes would have on you or your organisation.

Subject to the approval of the Minister, the proposed Rule changes are expected to come into effect on 24 November 2021.

What we are seeking your feedback on

Waka Kotahi welcomes your comments on the proposed changes set out in this overview and in the draft of the proposed Rule.

When you provide your feedback, it would be helpful if you consider and answer the following questions:

Do you support revoking the time-limited licence policy? Please outline your reasons.
Do you see any additional risks in revoking the time-limited licence policy?

For both questions, your reasoning behind the response would be appreciated.

How to make a submission

You can send your submission:

via the online form(external link)
or email it to rules@nzta.govt.nz

Please include the following information in your submission:

the title of the proposed Rule change
your name, and title if applicable
your organisation’s name if applicable
your email address (preferred) or postal address.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday 8 October 2021.

After the consultation is completed a final document will be prepared and released.

Consultation documents

more details here: https://nzta.govt.nz/about-us/consultations/changes-to-learner-and-restricted-driver-licences

RYDA Programme

The Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Programme is in partnership with Rotary, Road Safety Education, Safer Journeys, Wairarapa Road Safety Council.

An annual eveny held at the Solway Showgrounds in Masterton, students we able to take part in 6 workshops focusing on one of the most important things they will be doing in everyday life - DRIVING;

Putting the 'I' in Drive
Hazards, Distractions & Risks
Speed & Stopping Distances
Road Choices
Genevieves Story
Crash Survivor

Each facilitator is experienced in their field providing safer road choices and inspiration to students wanting to take the next step in their journey of their future driving careers. RYDA has been running in Wairarapa for 7 years (cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19, but both year 12&13 students attended in 2021).

For more information please click the RYDA link

We wish to thank all of the Rotarians, Teachers, Students, Facilitators and supporting organisations that played their part in making this event an on-going success.

RYDA is an Australia and New Zealand Program delivered by Road Safety Education Ltd.

Community Driver Mentor Programme - Tips #1

Here are some of the common things that are tripping up students going for their restricted driving test. This is designed for those coaching students either at home or through the CDMP Programme. We have to be aware of what faults the testing officers ‘deem’, when failing our students, & we have to respond to their requirements.

Usual errors are;

failing to ( completely) stop at stop signs. Best to stop & count 2-3 seconds before moving off.
speed too fast or too slow)….essential to remain under the posted speed limit by a couple of km’s. (FOR A PRACTICAL TEST….PLEASE UNPLUG THE LEAD TO OUR GPS UNITS AND PLACE THE LEAD IN THE GLOVEBOX…. PLUG IN AGAIN AFTER THE PRACTICAL TEST

New 30km/h markings on Queen St Masterton

Travelling too slowly is an error as well. Highway speed with little traffic and good conditions means the speed should be high 90km’s.

In 50km/h areas the speed will be dictated by where they are. e.g. Wide quiet streets they should be travelling at around 45km/h; busier narrower streets will be lower speeds

failing to make ‘blindspot’ shoulder checks. These MUST be done otherwise a ‘critical error’ will be assigned for each omission. Remember that three critical errors in a test is a fail ( and a fail if two errors are noted in the first section of the test route).

Hopefully the following quick video ‘clips’ will better explain when these must be done, but basically complete over the left shoulder for EVERY left turn, and over the right shoulder EVERY time when pulling out from the curb, when lane merging on the highway, and when moving into the ‘hatched’ area leading to a right turn bay ( such as outside KFC on Chapel St).

slighlty over the centre-line just before making a right turn. ( vehicle should be positioned NEXT to the centre-line but not over it).
cutting a corner. Testing officers are now spending quite a bit of time in the first section of the test, taking the student on many turns on unmarked streets ( around quiet streets on the Westside ). This affords them many opportunities to assign critical errors to the student. The vehicle positioning is critical, so please ensure the student keeps to the left of an ‘imaginary’ centre-line, on each & every street & intersection. (They use different streets so below is just an example I have witnessed)

Hopefully the diagram explains:

failing to look both ways at railway level crossings. Slow down to a crawl if necessary & students must physically turn their heads left & right before moving over the tracks slowly.
not selecting an appropriate gap in traffic to move into at intersections. Students should be continually scanning both directions at a cross-intersection when turning right ( e.g. Stop sign at Queen St/Russell St at the back of The Warehouse), preparing to take foot off the brake, the moment the last car passes through, then immediately make their turn. This will stop taking too long to clear the intersection.
mounting curb on reverse parallel park. There is a video on www.drive@nzta.govt.nz explaining how to coach this manoeuvre. (We have also made a quick video below).

Whichever technique you prefer, my advice is ‘the slower the better’. This will provide opportunities to slowly correct their path of travel. Get them into the habit if posit;e of using both their shoulder check behind & their external left mirror perhaps.( If they are about to hit the curb, they can stop & then pull forward & straighten up.)

We know the indicator stalk clicks off during these manoeuvres. The student should at least attempt to correct by repeating to operate the stalk whilst reversing then this should suffice. I would be interested to hear if students have been afforded a critical error if they have tried to rectify this & still were marked down.

following too closely ( always on the highway). Mentors will know appropriate following distances…but then be careful about getting too far behind & being marked down for travelling too slowly.
failing to check rear vision mirror regularly. Important to check after exiting intersections & regularly on S.H.2.

Note: A ‘check’ is a 1-2 second glance, then back to looking ahead…the same as when checking their speedometer.

For anything else not covered here, please contact Bruce Pauling rsmanager@wairsc.org.nz or call 06 377 1379

Community Driver Mentor Programme Needs You

Thought of becoming a mentor driver?

We have an induction coming up:

Friday 31st July

What do mentors do?

Using programme cars, mentors will help learner drivers prepare forrestricted driving licence test and safe solo driving.

Coach a young driver for an hour a week to get them their restricted licence, become a safedriver and provide a pathway to employment.

Mentors are not driving instructors but will act ascoaches and supervise a range of driving experiences.

Attend a brief induction and get full support to mentor a young driver to success

Mentors use suggestions from professionaldriving instructors covering attitudes to driving,planning safe trips, recognising and masteringdifficult driving conditions just to name a few...