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.

Pāpāmoa East Interchange – eastbound off-ramp opens for public use

Tauranga City Council is pleased to announce the partial opening of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange tomorrow (Tuesday, 26 August), enabling use of the eastbound off-ramp for motorists.

The new off-ramp will provide access to Pāpāmoa East from the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road, while construction of the wider interchange continues before it fully opens next year.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the off-ramp is opening nine months ahead of schedule which is a fantastic result and a great example of councils and central government working together for the benefit of the community.

“Together, we achieved a great, pragmatic outcome for the people of Tauranga, and I thank everyone for saying ‘yes’ and getting this done,” says Mahé.

Pāpāmoa Ward Councillor Steve Morris agrees having the off-ramp open from tomorrow is a win for the local community.

“Use of the off-ramp will have an immediate and positive impact on traffic flows along the Domain Road and Tara Road interchange. This will be felt by all Pāpāmoa residents and allow everyone to get to their destination quicker.”

Councillor Morris emphasises that use of the off-ramp is through an active construction site which means it comes with restrictions on speed and a duty of extra care on drivers.

From 26 August, drivers who want to access Pāpāmoa East can travel along State Highway 2 (the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road) and exit via the Pāpāmoa East Interchange off-ramp.

Signage will indicate a reduced speed of 50km/h when travelling through an active construction site. The journey continues via the western side of Te Okuroa Drive only – all other access points to/from the interchange remain closed until completion.

The other three ramps will remain closed until completion. The eastbound on-ramp facilitates construction traffic and activity as part of ongoing interchange construction, and the westbound ramps are dependent on the completion of the bridge itself.

Consultation on proposed tolling for the use of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange by project partner NZTA closes this Thursday, 28 August 2025. More information on the proposal and a link to the consultation is available at nzta.govt.nz/teltolling.

As the off-ramp at the Pāpāmoa East Interchange is opening early, NZTA has proposed a toll-free period of 12 months, for users of the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road between the Pāpāmoa East Interchange and the Domain Road Interchange. Normal tolls apply to drivers using the full Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road.

To find out more about the Pāpāmoa East Interchange and partial opening, visit https://letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/pei

Papamoa East Interchange - eastbound off-ramp