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.

Dog reunited with owner after months apart, thanks to Animal Services

Tauranga City Council’s Animal Services team is celebrating several successful dog-owner reunions, all made possible through microchipping, with one story especially touching.

In August, a dog was brought into the pound after being abandoned in Tauranga. It was soon discovered that he had been missing from Auckland since November 2024.

Despite the long separation, the microchip proved crucial in reuniting him with his owner. The team was able to contact the owner using the current details linked to the chip, resulting in an emotional reunion after nearly nine months apart.

Other dogs reunited include one from Welcome Bay and one in Te Kuiti.

Brent Lincoln, team leader of Animal Services, says reuniting dogs with their families is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

“Microchips give us the information we need to act quickly and accurately. We encourage all dog owners to make sure their pets are microchipped and that their contact details are kept up to date.”

Mayor Mahé Drysdale, a dog lover himself, knows how deeply pets become part of the family.

“The work our Animal Services team is doing to reunite lost dogs with their owners is nothing short of heartwarming. Stories like this one remind us how important it is to microchip our pets.”

To make microchipping accessible for the Tauranga community, you can get your dog microchipped at the dog pound. Dog owners can bring their dogs in to be microchipped at a low cost, helping ensure more dogs can be safely returned if they go missing.

Microchip your dog:

Where: Tauranga City Dog Pound, 88 Hewletts Road (opposite the Z petrol station).
When: During opening hours, Monday: 9am – 4.30pm. Tues-Fri: 2pm-4.30pm.
Cost: $33

By appointment only. To make an appointment, call 07 577 7000 and ask to speak to the Animal Services team at the pound.

Posted: Sep 12, 2025,