Haumarutanga rori - pakeke

Road safety - adults

The Travel Safe team work in the community to reduce accidents and improve road safety.

Young Driver Workshop

Free young driver workshops are aimed at road users aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence. Participants will leave with improved knowledge, confidence, and skills.

Each workshop includes:

A 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
Waka Kotahi NZTA roadworthy vehicle check (what to check to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy)
Driver behaviour awareness (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction, and fatigue
Awareness session on sharing the road with heavy vehicles

Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend but it’s not compulsory. The four-hour workshops are held during school term holidays, usually between 9am and 1pm.

Drive has everything you need to prepare for your learner, restricted and full licence tests.

Visit the Drive website

Young driver workshop

Car Restraints

Looking for support around car seat restraints? Contact one of our local car seat technicians at travelsafeschools@tauranga.govt.nz. We offer free car seat installations, checks, and will help answer any questions or concerns regarding your car restraint.

Carseat installation

Parking behaviour

Drop off and pick up are busy times that pose a safety risk at the school gate. Travel Safe help schools to communicate things like parking time limits, drop off and pick up zones, parking over the kerb and other safety risks at the school gate. We deliver an in-school parking and safety programme named Peaceful Parker, and partner with council parking officers to do school visits when requested by schools or the community.

Blindzone Workshops

Blindzone workshops allow people to see the world from a truck driver’s point of view. Through a series of practical scenarios, participants will learn where to place themselves so they are visible to truck drivers and will leave with more awareness and confidence on the road.

For more on Blindzone and cycling around heavy vehicles visit Share the Road.

Blindzone workshop

Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen

This winter visibility programme reminds cyclists, walkers, runners, and scooter riders to have lights, bright clothing, and reflective gear if they are out and about during early mornings, evenings, and at other times of low light and poor visibility.

Whether commuting to work or school, being active for fun or fitness, or popping down to the local shops, people should take extra care and keep safe by being fully visible on roads and paths.

All cyclists are encouraged to wear high-visibility clothing and ensure their front light, rear light and rear red reflector are all working correctly and are clean.

View the official New Zealand code for cycling for more information.

New Kaweroa Drive connection opening in Tauriko

A new connection is set to open in Tauriko with the completion of the fourth and final leg of the State Highway 29 (SH29) Redwood Lane roundabout.

The roundabout, part of the Tauriko Enabling Works project, opened to traffic in May this year while work continued on the Kaweroa Drive extension. That work is now complete, and the connection will officially open to traffic on Saturday 15 November.

Darryl Coalter, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Acting Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery says this marks a major milestone for the project.

“This roundabout is one of 4 key intersection upgrades being delivered through the Tauriko Enabling Works. It will improve safety, provide a vital new connection, and unlock further access to the Tauriko Business Estate.

“The new Kaweroa Drive link will make it easier for industrial and commercial traffic to reach businesses within the estate, while helping to spread traffic more evenly between SH29 and State Highway 36 (SH36). It also includes new pedestrian signals to improve safety for people walking and cycling in the area.”

Tauriko Ward Councillor Marten Rozeboom says the Kaweroa Drive extension is another key piece of infrastructure that’s been completed at pace and will connect future residential, employment and commercial areas.

“Progress has occurred fast in this area and it’s great to see this extension opening before the end of the year, with momentum continuing.”

Tauranga City Council will monitor traffic volumes on local roads in the business estate once the connection to the Redwood Lane roundabout is open.

The opening of the Kaweroa Drive link also enables works to start on a new connection between Belk Road and Taurikura Drive, within the Tauriko Business Estate – which in turn will allow for closure of the existing SH29/Belk Road intersection.

The roundabout will stay in its temporary layout for the remainder of the year, with one lane in each direction on SH29 and a reduced speed limit of 50km/h. This allows work to continue on the additional SH29 lanes, opening the pedestrian and cyclist underpass, and finishing the landscaping.

Once completed, the roundabout will have 2 lanes in each direction on SH29. All work in the Redwood Lane section is on track to be completed by early 2026.

Meanwhile, in Tauriko Village, the project has recently marked one year of construction. Crews began work in mid-September 2024, and the area has since been transformed, laying the groundwork for future development. This includes a new intersection, road (Te Ara Hoia Drive), and carpark for Tauriko School and Playcentre.

Construction continues on widening SH29 through the village and preparing SH29/Cambridge Road for a new signalised intersection.

For more information, visit the Tauriko Enabling Works website.

Posted: Nov 4, 2025,