Driver licence changes: Government proposes to scrap second practical test, reduce eyesight tests
The Government proposes removing the practical driving test for a full licence to streamline the process.
Chris Bishop said the changes aim to make licensing more efficient and affordable.
New safety measures include a clean driving record, halved demerit threshold, and zero-alcohol limit for learners.
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The Government wants to remove the practical driving test needed to attain a full licence and reduce the number of eyesight tests required to allow more people to become qualified drivers.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said New Zealand was an international “outlier” in requiring a practical test for a person on a restricted licence who was applying for their full licence.
“Other countries such as Australia require those on restricted licences to have longer learner periods, reduced demerit thresholds or mandatory practice hours,” he said.
Bishop said the Government’s proposal, which will go out for public consultation on Monday, included new safety measures such as demanding a “clean driving record” of restricted drivers, halving the demerit threshold and introducing a zero-alcohol limit for learner and restricted drivers of any age. Currently, any driver under 20 years of age must adhere to a zero-alcohol limit.
Bishop also outlined potential changes to the necessary frequency of eyesight tests. Given tests were required at each of the three licence test stages, it meant a person over 25 years old could have their vision tested three times in nine months.
“Evidence suggests there is little safety benefit from this repeated eyesight testing. Instead, we propose that people would still need to have their vision tested when they apply for their first licence and when they first renew their licence after they turn 45,” Bishop said.
Current eyesight-testing standards would be retained for heavy vehicle licences and endorsements and for people over 75 years of age.
Bishop argued the changes were designed to make getting a licence more efficient and affordable, noting that going from a learner’s to a full licence cost a minimum of $362.50.
“Around one million adults in New Zealand don’t have a full driver[‘s] licence and nearly half of these people have no licence at all,” he said.
“Right now, the process for getting a driver licence is time-consuming and inefficient. It involves a theory test to get a learner licence and then two practical tests – one when going for a restricted licence and another when going for a full licence.”
The consultation document and a survey will be available from tomorrow on the Ministry of Transport’s website. The consultation period closed on June 9. Any changes would be implemented in July 2026.
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Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.9% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16.1% Hmm, maybe?
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11% Yes!
Secure your homes over summer
Police are reminding people to keep their homes secure during the summer months.
Inspector Glenda Barnaby, Christchurch Area Prevention manager, says daytime burglaries are just as common as nightime burglaries.
“Burglaries can be committed at any time of the day, and coming into warmer months there is more opportunity for thieves."
"Although a majority of burglaries involve forced entry through windows and doors, we are starting to see more incidents at insecure premises. Police deal with cases where burglaries are committed in broad daylight, sometimes even while the victim is at home. Good weather means open doors and windows, which makes homes more vulnerable to burglars.”
Inspector Barnaby says there’s a few things people can do to reduce their changes of a burglary being committed.
⚠️ If you’re going outside for gardening, relaxing in the sun, or working in the garage, take a moment to lock your doors and secure your windows first.
⚠️ Do the same at night when you go to bed - keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains. Fitting window stays means you can get a breeze coming through, while keeping your windows secure.
⚠️ Get to know your neighbours - let them know if you’re going away and look out for one another.”
If you see any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in your neighbourhood, don't hesitate to contact Police.
If you witness or suspect any illegal activity, please call 111 if it is happening now, or make a report through 105 either online or over the phone, if it is after the fact.
What sectors are barely paying more than minimum wage?
While New Zealand might have about a dozen sectors paying at least a median $100,000 a year, there are almost as many paying barely more than the minimum wage.
Data compiled by Infometrics showed the median and mean salaries across industries throughout the country.
The data does not adjust for hours worked, and some of the workers may not be working a 40-hour week.
But it shows that on an annual basis, many sectors were not delivering incomes that were equal to the minimum wage.
The minimum wage of $23.50 an hour works out to just under $49,000 a year for a full-time, 40-hour a week worker.
Fuel retailing was paying a median of almost exactly the same amount.
Food retailing was paying less, at $45,030. Accommodation was slightly more, at $49,240, and food and beverage services was significantly less at $40,170.
Also within $10,000 of minimum wage were "other store-based retailing" at $53,220, sport and recreation services at $53,350 and personal and other services at $54,170.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data last year showed that about 141,900 people would be directly affected by the minimum wage rising to $23.50, indicating they were at that point being paid less than that amount per hour.
Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon said skills and experience explained a lot of the variation in incomes.
"Industries that need a more skilled workforce generally pay more - because they can get a lot of value out of their workers, and workers need a good incentive to gain those skills - for example, medicine. Industries that take in a lot of lower qualified staff, like hospitality, can get away with paying a lot less, and still get plenty of job applicants.
"There are other factors like desirability - some jobs might not have a high skill requirement but are somewhat undesirable - say underground coal mining - so higher pay is necessary to find workers."
CTU policy director and economist Craig Enney said "hours adequacy" was a big problem in many sectors.
"You've got someone who's working 20 hours a week or 25 hours, on $25 an hour, so you're earning $500 a week. Is that enough? No.
"The challenge is often about the structure of employment in some of those sectors…In hospo, in retail, in catering, in a range of other sort of service-based industries, it's wanting more hours and not getting it."
The latest labour market statistics showed the the number of underutilised people in the country had risen to 403,000.
"These are people who want more hours, want more work and can't get it. And that may be a key reason why, you know, total incomes are so inadequate for some people. And that's also partially helping to explain why the headline unemployment rate is not rising as quickly as some people had predicted."
Jake Lilley, a spokesperson for financial mentor network Fincap, said it was something mentors dealt with.
"They also help people work out what is realistic in terms of taking on hours while balancing additional childcare costs. Our latest Voices reporting recorded 31 percent of those supported by a financial mentor as having a mix of income from salary or wages as well as income support.
"It is a real juggle to navigate finances when unpredictable sporadic hours of work need reporting to Work and Income in what can be impractical timeframes. An example might be someone being asked to stay on for a longer shift by their manager and being unable to contact Work and Income when that day is the deadline to report other income.
"Someone might also not know exactly what their pay will be until a payslip is provided after the reporting date. Such situations can often result in overpayment debts from Work and Income compounding the difficulty of administering already tight finances."
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