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.

20-minute city centre parking grace period approved

Tauranga City's Mayor and Councillors have approved a 20-minute grace period for all council-operated parking in the city centre and city centre fringe paid zones.

The resolution, passed at Tuesday’s Council meeting, is now in effect and applies to all on-street and off-street carparks in the city centre, including the Elizabeth Street and Spring Street parking buildings.

The decision follows the Council’s ongoing commitment to bring more people into the city centre. The Council has heard that parking is one of the barriers and this will help take away a barrier for short-term stays.

Te Papa Ward Councillor Rod Taylor has been regularly engaging with city centre businesses about parking and wider challenges and says the grace period is one of the ways Council is responding to their feedback.

“We acknowledge that some hospitality and retail businesses in the city centre are doing it tough. The grace period means people can now quickly drop by the city centre for up to 20 minutes without paying – which is helpful if they’re there to grab a coffee, collect takeaways, or pop into the pharmacy,” he says.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale acknowledges there is no one silver bullet to the issues some businesses are facing, however the grace period is one solution the Council can implement immediately while other options are explored.

“We’re listening to people’s concerns and will continue to consider viable and targeted parking options to support the retail and hospitality sector in the city centre and encourage more visitors into the area,” says Mahé.

To use the grace period, simply park in a paid parking area for under 20 minutes without using the machine or the app.

As part of Tuesday’s decision, Council will also work with businesses and the accessibility community to identify where additional P5 and mobility parks should be located. City centre loading zones can be used by anyone for quick stops of up to five minutes, helping ensure space is available for high-turnover activities.

Posted: Sep 19, 2025,