Flaxmere initiative provides free driving lessons for Hawke's Bay

Michelle Kingi and Te Atakura Huata-Harawira started providing free driving lessons in Flaxmere and Maraenui to get people on the road legally. Photo / Supplied

After racking up thousands of dollars of fines because she couldn't get a driver's licence, Flaxmere's Te Atakura Huata-Harawira was inspired to start a school to help others.

She and friend Michelle Tangi started Get Your Licence in 2014 when the women saw there was a clear need for help in Flaxmere. It's since helped hundreds of people.

"I never had someone like me to teach me to drive when I was younger and I probably wouldn't have gotten all the fines if I had," Huata-Harawira said.

Shortly after opening, the pair started the weekend wananga, a weekend where people can learn how to pass their licence for free.

"It's our little bit of giving back to the community," Huata-Harawira said.

The weekends started monthly in Flaxmere but now alternate between Flaxmere and Maraenui after people began coming to Flaxmere from Napier for the weekends.

People come the day before on Friday to register for the lesson.

On Saturday and Sunday, the participants are helped with learner's, test, restricted or full.

There are often more people interested than they can take on as mentor numbers are small.

For the restricted and full, participants get a one-hour lesson, tips on what they should work on and a rundown of the test.

"It's not about teaching them how to drive, it's about teaching them how to pass," Huata-Harawira said.

Participants just need to bring a car to drive in.

Huata-Harawira feels there are many barriers to people getting their licence.

The cost, having access to a legal car, having someone to teach them how to drive, time, fear of failing and feeling ashamed to get the test due to age are the most common reasons she sees.

The pair hope to address these barriers through their work in the hopes that there will be more people with legal licences who know how to drive safely in their community.

The next free weekend will be held in Maraenui on March 21 and 22.