New driver’s licence scheme for rural Northlanders

Tutor Alana Laybourn with new licence-holder Shayla Smyth-Puhara.

Getting a driver’s licence will soon become easier for Northlanders living in isolated communities as a new initiative revs up this year.

Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has joined with the Ngātiwai Trust Board, Te Iwi o Te Roroa and Te Whai Community Trust to support isolated whānau with marae-based learning, driver mentoring, and wānanga.

The scheme will focus on whānau in rural areas in Kaipara, including Waipoua, Trouson and Waimamaku, where access to driver mentoring is severely restricted.

MSD Northland regional commissioner Graham MacPherson said having a driver’s licence can increase your chances of finding work.

“A big portion of our community can’t access driving lessons or testing. It’s a very expensive and stressful ordeal for some,” MacPherson said.

“These courses will help ensure that all Northlanders have equal access to driver licensing services, getting more people on the road to success.”

Ngātiwai Trust Board chief executive Hūhana Lyndon said trained mentors would initially deliver the services across six Ngātiwai marae.

“We need a different approach to licensing in rural Māori communities. Our kaupapa is about taking licensing to our people, empowering participation, and enabling our whānau to prepare for and pass their driver’s test.

“We are excited about the opportunity to extend this programme onto other marae along the coast.”

Ngātiwai Education driving tutor Alana Laybourn started helping people to get their licences four years ago on a whim, but hasn’t looked back since.

“I really just have this passion for getting kids their licences, or anyone really, because it’s so rewarding,” she said.

Laybourn said the barriers some Northlanders faced regarding driver licensing are vast - from not having ID to not having the money to sit the test.

“We have a lot of Māori, particularly those who don’t see themselves represented in the usual testing system, so it’s a really stressful situation for them, and quite often they won’t have a car, and we have a car we can teach in.”

Te Whai Community Trust’s existing Drive Safe Community programme in Mangawhai has been strengthened to ensure the licensing fees and cost of travel to urban settings for practice are not passed on to participants.

Funding for the three new iwi initiatives comes from the $86.5 million announced in Budget 2022 to improve access to driver licensing testing and training across Aotearoa.

Community providers in Te Hiku with Far North Reap and police officers have trained more than 120 whānau through their licensing courses, which have achieved a 98 per cent success rate.

The Ngātiwai and Te Whai Community Trust programmes have begun, while the Te Roroa programme is expected to get under way in February.

Anyone who wants to take part can visit a local service centre for more information, or contact Northland_Jobs@msd.govt.nz.