The Government is taking “further action” to tackle what it says is the “unacceptable wait times” people face trying to sit their driver licence test.
Transport Minister and Pakuranga MP, Simeon Brown, says it’s temporarily extending from next month the period people can drive on overseas licences from 12 to 18 months.
“The previous government removed fees for resits of theory and practical tests which led to a huge demand on driver testing officers and unacceptable wait times.
“People applying to sit their licence tests were left waiting for more than 60 days, and a backlog of over 70,000 waiting to sit a practical licence test soon developed,” Brown says.
“The Government has taken several actions to reduce wait times and progress is taking place, but there is still more work to do.
“Through these actions, the wait times have eased to an average of 35 days for a full driver licence, and to 46 days for a restricted driver licence test.
“However, there’s still more work to do as this is above the target of 90 per cent of practical tests being taken within 30 days of booking.”
Brown says one of the challenges alongside the unlimited free resits, has been the surge in the number of overseas licence conversions, with overseas licence conversions outnumbering domestic tests since last November.
“Cabinet has agreed to temporarily extend the time people can drive on their overseas driver licence from 12 months to 18 months from the date of their last entry into New Zealand.
“After that time, they will need to convert to a New Zealand licence or stop driving altogether.”
Brown says the Government and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) have already taken to reduce driver licence wait times by introducing a limit of one free resit for Class 1 driver tests.
They’ve also put a 10-day stand down in place following a second failed theory test attempt on the same day.
Free resits for overseas licence conversions have been removed, and 52 additional driver testing officers and 19 temporary driver testing officers have been recruited to increase the number of tests able to be completed each week, Brown says.
“Getting a driver licence makes a big difference in a person’s life, is a critical step in supporting safety on our roads, and helps people access employment opportunities.”
