Haumaru o Ara – Safe Journeys is a locally delivered workshop programme designed to support people who have repeat drink driving behaviours or Excess Breath Alcohol (EBA) charges to make positive and lasting change.
This one-day intervention provides participants with the opportunity to better understand the impact of alcohol on decision-making, driving behaviour, personal wellbeing, whānau, and the wider community. It is a practical, supportive programme focused on reducing reoffending and helping create safer roads for everyone.
Drink driving continues to place lives at risk across our communities. Haumaru o Ara has been developed through community collaboration to address this issue in a meaningful and accessible way.
The programme gives participants a chance to reflect on the choices that led to offending, identify patterns of behaviour, and develop strategies to prevent it happening again.
Workshops are facilitated in a respectful, non-judgemental environment where attendees are encouraged to engage openly and honestly.
Participants will explore:
The programme is supported by experienced AOD clinician William Blakemore, who brings an empathetic and sensitive approach to working with people facing alcohol-related challenges. Participants are supported to work through barriers, build insight, and develop realistic steps toward positive change.
Haumaru o Ara is proud to be a locally operated programme that makes support more accessible for people in our region. Continued funding has been secured for the next three years, helping ensure this valuable service remains available to those who need it most.
Referrals are welcomed from practitioners, agencies, and organisations supporting clients with drink driving issues or offending. The workshop can be used as:
Strong referral support helps ensure this programme can continue serving the community.
We run regular Haumaru o Ara workshops throughout the year for eligible participants.
Venue: REAP House, 340 Queen Street
Alternative venues: If there are sufficient participant numbers, we may be able to arrange suitable workshop venues in other locations.
Duration: One-day workshop
Enquiries and referrals: Email rsc@wairsc.org.nz
Registration: Essential. Spaces are limited and close prior to each workshop to allow for planning and catering.
If you work with clients who may benefit from this programme, we encourage you to get in touch and discuss referral options. Together, we can support safer choices and safer journeys for everyone.
New Zealand has strengthened its drug driving laws under the Land Transport legislation to improve road safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
Police can now carry out roadside saliva testing to detect recent drug use. Drivers may be stopped anywhere, at any time, and required to complete a roadside test.
If a driver returns a positive result, further testing may be undertaken and consequences can include licence suspension, infringement notices, demerit points, or prosecution depending on the circumstances.
These changes sit within New Zealand’s Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment laws, which strengthen enforcement against impaired driving.
The law covers a range of impairing substances, including:
Drug driving laws also apply to legal medicines if they impair your ability to drive.
Some medications may cause:
Even when prescribed, you can still be legally unfit to drive if impaired.
For official medicine safety information, visit Medsafe NZ:
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/
Under New Zealand’s drug driving legislation, impairment is what matters — not whether a substance is legal or prescribed.
If it affects your driving, it’s not safe to drive.
