Kelly Annand says she is excited to continue helping people obtain their driver's licence.
Connect Youth and Community Trust, which runs a Driver Safety and Licensing programme in Central Hawke’s Bay, has put a pause on driving tests this week as it awaits sign-off to continue for another five years.
General manager Kelly Annand said despite the pause seeming like a concern, it was for the greater good of the community.
“We are just waiting on the final sign-off for contracts, which is exciting because we get to continue community testing for another five years.
“We spent some time to get it right. With it being a long-term thing, it’s not a bad thing; we just have to be patient and get that over the line and hit the ground running.”
They had instead focused their time on lessons.
“We are busy doing as many lessons as we possibly can, so the minute we get the go-ahead, we can put them all through and do a massive couple of weeks of testing and get them over the line.”
NZTA head of driving regulation Chris Rodley said the contracts that were in place for Community Driver Testing Organisations (CDTO) services were expiring with no opportunities to renew.
“A new procurement was completed in line with Government Procurement Rules to engage fit-for-purpose organisations that can meet the needs of their communities.
“Connect was identified as an ideal provider of community driver testing services given its strong commitment to their community and a strong understanding of the Graduated Driver Licensing System.”
Rodley said they wanted to minimise the impact that a pause in service can have on communities who require support, and anticipate that Letters of Agreement along with Delegations of Functions and Powers will be signed in due course.
“A level of due diligence is being undertaken at the moment.
“We acknowledge that services like these thrive when we have people of the community supporting the community.”
The programme was established in 2022 to increase accessibility to driver testing services, reduce barriers to obtaining a licence and improve road safety.
“Since then, we have been able to test our own students, which has reduced failure rates massively,” Annand told Hawke’s Bay Today in August 2024.
On Tuesday, she said the disruption to those booked to sit tests was minimal, as they would ensure they fit in anyone impacted.
“If any, the boarding school kids have been affected.”
She said they would work with them to sit their tests on teacher-only days.
“Last year we tested 630 people through community testing, and it works, especially for communities of interest like ours who have got that coordinated response.
“It’s been the best system.
“We don’t test anybody that we know hasn’t got the safety aspects and the ability to drive.”
There were still people choosing to sit their full licence despite the proposed changes to New Zealand’s driver licence to scrap the full licence test.
“People are still really committed and it’s not the full test that is the barrier, it was the access, and the support and the confidence to do it.”
She said she was against the changes and hoped the Government would carefully consider the submissions.
“I personally don’t support the removal of the full test ... you can’t scrap something without putting a robust system in place first.
“I think, sadly, what they are proposing is just going to hold people in a place, which is not necessarily going to be beneficial for them long term, because it will just prolong them being able to get their full licence.”
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said he supported making it easier for people across New Zealand to obtain a driver’s licence.
“This includes supporting driver licence services provided by a range of suppliers, including through Community Driver Testing Officers.
“I will be making announcements about the decisions regarding the final changes to the graduated driver licence system in the coming weeks.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.