The Government announced major changes to the driver licensing system last week.
Three Bay of Plenty driving school owners say they endorse the change to the driving licence system that will extend the period for learner drivers and restricted drivers under 25 by six months.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop has announced major reforms to the licensing system, calling the current model “expensive, outdated and no longer working as well as it should”.
He said the changes, scheduled to come into force on January 25, 2027, aimed to improve road safety by placing greater emphasis on driving experience while reducing the cost and complexity of gaining a full licence.
For drivers under 25, the minimum learner licence period will increase from six to 12 months. However, young drivers will be able to reduce this to six months by completing an approved practical driving course or logging additional supervised driving hours.
The default restricted licence period for under‑25s will reduce from 18 months to 12 months, meaning drivers could still gain a full licence by the age of 17-and-a-half if they shorten their learner period.
Drivers over 25 will retain minimum learner and restricted periods of six months each, but will no longer be able to shorten their restricted period to three months by completing a course.
A key change is the removal of the second practical driving test when progressing from a restricted to a full Class 1 licence. Bishop said this would reduce the overall cost by about $80, making licensing more affordable for drivers who demonstrate safe behaviour during their restricted period.
The reforms also introduce tougher penalties for driving offences while on a restricted licence, with any demerit points triggering an automatic six‑month extension of the restricted period.
Bishop said the changes balanced access with safety, with strong public support for expanding the zero alcohol limit to all learner and restricted licence holders, regardless of age.
Rotorua‑based Helen Barry, owner of Helen’s Driving School, said she endorsed both the longer learner period and the zero‑alcohol rule.
Barry said that while many parents taught their children to drive, they were not always familiar with current road rules or best practice.
“A lot of mums and dads do their best, but road rules have changed since they got their licences,” she said. “We often find we’re retraining learners because they’ve picked up bad habits.”
Barry said learning to drive should involve experience in a wide range of conditions.
“When you are learning to drive, you need to be able to drive at night, in the wet, when it’s foggy – in all weather conditions,” she said.
She would also like to see more Government‑funded driving courses, particularly for young people and those who needed extra support to progress through the licensing system.
Whakatāne driving instructor Marylou Bruys, owner of Marylou’s Driving School, said she fully supported extending both the learner and restricted licence periods and the zero‑alcohol limit.
“Personally, I believe there should be a zero‑alcohol limit for everyone who gets behind the wheel,” she said. “It would make our roads safer.”
Bruys agreed that parents often taught their children to drive, but said engaging a licensed instructor could help ensure learners were taught up‑to‑date rules and safer techniques.
Bay of Plenty Driving School owner Jeroen van der Beek also backed the changes, saying they appeared to targeted “problem drivers”.
However, van der Beek said the success of the new system would depend on how practice hours and approved courses were monitored and enforced.
“The proof is in the pudding when it comes to whether someone of any age is actually ready to move to a full licence,” he said.
“I’d like to see more detail around how practice hours will be recorded, and whether police will have the resources to enforce the rules.”
Road safety organisations also welcomed many of the reforms. Brake New Zealand director Caroline Perry said the charity was pleased to see the expansion of the zero‑alcohol rule.
However, Brake said she would have liked to see mandatory minimum supervised driving hours introduced for young drivers to align New Zealand with overseas best practice.
The Automobile Association also supported the changes, saying the emphasis on experience was crucial for road safety.
“Time alone doesn’t make safer drivers – experience does,” AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen said.
“A longer learner period, combined with incentives to gain real driving experience or undertake professional training, gives young drivers a much better chance of developing the skills and judgment they need to be safer on the road.”
Kiwi motorsport driver and road safety advocate Greg Murphy gave Newstalk ZB a mixed response to the Government’s proposed licence changes, supporting some measures but arguing they fell short of improving safety.
He said the system still allowed drivers to gain a full licence without meaningful experience.
All current learner and restricted licence holders will move on to the new system when it comes into force.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.