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.

Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service, Friday, 6 February 2026

In the days following the tragic Mauao landslide, Council has re-opened Hopukiore (Mount Drury) to the public (on Thursday, 29 January) and the Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service organising committee has held careful and respectful kōrero with tangata whenua about continuing to hold the Dawn Service at Hopukiore.

Following this collective discussion, agreement has been reached that the 2026 Waitangi Day Dawn Service will proceed as planned.

There is a strong acknowledgement that community events, such as the Waitangi Day Dawn Service, play an important role in bringing people together in challenging times.

The Waitangi Day Dawn Service has been observed for more than 50 years. For over a decade, Tauranga Moana has gathered at Hopukiore (Mount Drury) at dawn for this free, family-friendly service - a tradition that will continue.

The Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service organising committee warmly invites the community to attend the 2026 Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service at Hopukiore on Friday, 6 February. Attendees are welcome to gather from 6am.

The Dawn Service begins at 6:30am with a whakatau (welcome) from tangata whenua and includes speeches from local kaumātua (elders), civic leaders, rangatahi, and cultural performances.

Speakers will explore the meaning of Te Tiriti today, the importance of honouring its spirit, and a shared vision for a thriving, Tiriti-based Tauranga Moana.

This special occasion brings iwi/hapū, civic and church leaders, and the wider community together in the spirit of whakawhanaungatanga (relationships and collaboration) and manaakitanga (care and respect), to reflect on the past, and to look forward with a renewed commitment to partnership and kotahitanga (unity).

People are advised to arrive early, dress warmly, and bring a blanket or low camping chair to sit on.

The service will conclude with a karakia around 8am.

Road closures

Road closures will be in place on Friday, 6 February from 5am until 9am on Marine Parade from Grace Avenue to Pacific Avenue.

Accessible parking

Parking will be available for mobility card holders, kaumatua, elderly, and other dignitaries on Marine Parade, within the road closure area. Please access the accessible parking area via Pacific Avenue between 5am and 6.30am, before the service starts. The area will be locked from 6.30am until the end of the service at 8am.

Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service organising committee

Tauranga City Council is proud to stand alongside tangata whenua to ensure this important day is commemorated every year.

Council works as part of the Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day organising committee, alongside the Whareroa Marae Committee, Ngai Tukairangi, Māori Wardens, Te Kohinga Network, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Tauranga Church Community.

The organising committee receives funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council to support the dawn service.