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.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale and Councillors share their heartfelt condolences

“We would like to acknowledge Police’s announcement today confirming that this morning the recovery operation at the Mauao landslide site has now been stood down."

"Our hearts remain with those families who have suffered unimaginable loss, and we continue to stand in solidarity with them.

We extend our profound gratitude to all the emergency workers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly and with immense care to bring the missing loved one’s home to their families. It has been humbling to observe how hard everyone worked and came together to provide the families with some closure, with all six missing family members now recovered and identified.

While loved ones lost in this terrible tragedy have now been returned, we will continue to offer support to the families in the years to come and have been blown away by the care they have been provided by the Police family liaison team.

Mauao is a treasure of our city and owned by tangata whenua of Tauranga Moana. Their onsite presence of Kaitiaki have wrapped aroha around the grieving families, and we thank them for all the love and support they have provided for the families and the community.

Civil Defence teams and Tauranga City Council staff have all worked hard behind the scenes to ensure recovery operations ran as smooth as possible, so thank you to all.

With the Police operation winding down, Tauranga City Council are working closely with Police and others on the site transition plan for site handover to the Council. This is likely to happen in the coming days.

We understand the challenges for businesses in the area and thank them for their understanding through this tough period. We will continue to advocate to reduce cordons in the coming days and once the Council takes over the site prioritise getting the cordons reduced as much as possible while continuing to keep people safe. This will be done on advice with experts, including geotechnical advice. Our aim is to have all businesses back operating as soon as possible.

Finally, we also wish to acknowledge and thank the Tauranga community who have in so many ways showed their compassion and respect to the families and their loved ones during this tragic time, through messages, flowers, volunteering, donations and many other ways. It has been a tough time for the city, but we are proud of the way our community has responded in a great time of need.

In times of tragedy, the true strength of Tauranga is revealed in our unity and compassion. We will continue to support one another in the time ahead as the recovery of this tragedy and Mauao continues.”

The latest Police statement is available here: www.police.govt.nz/news

Posted: Feb 1, 2026,