Foreign driver restriction call

Kejia Zheng was driving a rented Nissan Sunny from Tekapo to Christchurch on November 26 that year and at about noon, a motorist called *555. Photo / File

The partner of Tauranga biker Dennis Pederson has agreed with the coroner's recommendations - after a foreign driver caused a crash killing Mr Pederson and another motorcyclist.

Just before Dennis Michael Pederson and Grant John Roberts were killed in late 2012, an alarmed motorist raised concerns about Chinese tourist Kejia Zheng's driving.

Zheng was driving a rented Nissan Sunny from Tekapo to Christchurch on November 26 that year. At about noon, a motorist called *555.

"The complaint related to an apparent lack of awareness of the road rules and the driver's inability to judge the time and distance necessary to overtake safely," Coroner Richard McElrea recounted in a finding released yesterday.

Within five minutes Twizel police were on the road, looking for Zheng. "As Zheng approached around a curve she steered too close to the left onto the gravel shoulder, braked and steered back onto the road but over-corrected to the right, causing the vehicle to cross the road completely," the coroner said.

Mr Pederson and Mr Roberts were both thrown form their bikes and died from impact injuries. Mr Roberts' partner, a pillion passenger, was thrown about 23m but survived. Mr McElrea said police should be given power to allow the prohibition of driving on the basis of demonstrable lack of ability.

Mr McElrea also said the Minister of Transport, Simon Bridges, should consider preventing overseas visitors to New Zealand with inadequate experience being deemed to hold a full New Zealand driver's licence on the basis of a driver's licence obtained overseas.

Mr Pederson's partner Lisa Milgrew said foreign drivers should undergo some sort of testing before they were allowed to drive in New Zealand.

"Something needs to be done, that girl had her licence for five minutes so they need to change something.

"In the beginning I just thought accidents happen, but when I found out people had rung up about her driving ... She should not have been driving at all. She ... comes here and drives on the open roads ... She left here the next day and a $10,000 fine for three people," she said.