Driver now legal after 4 decades

Te Atakura Huata-Harawira (left) helps Camberley resident Te Maiawhitia Pohutu with Hastings District Council Flaxmere community development project manager Robyn Smith. Photo / Paul Taylor

A 65-year-old woman who had been driving for 39 years without a licence passed her test on Saturday and avoided a fine.

She was part of the 100 per cent success rate for the Flaxmere Drivers Licence Programme on Saturday.

Flaxmere resident Te Atakura Huata-Harawira organised a one-day workshop on Saturday at the Flaxmere Teen Parent Unit at Flaxmere College for people wanting their learner driving licence.

She said it was unrealistic to expect people to run a household without a car, but the cost of driving lessons and sitting tests was a barrier for some.

Fines for unlicensed driving increased hardship.

"These days we can't even afford to buy food for our families let alone pay fines on top," she said.

The escalation of unpaid fines led to further offending.

"Nobody really pays them and they just get into more debt. People end up going to court. It is not a good thing for our community - our people are worth more than that."

The 65-year-old woman had recently received a fine for unlicensed driving, which would be rescinded if she obtained her licence, which she had managed to do.

"She's a real success story for us."

The workshop was free but people paid the cost of sitting the licence - nearly $100. The programme took away much of the risk people would lose their money if they failed the licence test, she said. "We can't afford to lose that sort of money, but it is much cheaper than getting a $400 fine."

Fourteen attended the workshop and 10 sat and passed at Vehicle Testing New Zealand.

"Some didn't turn up because they didn't have the money or ID."

Another workshop will be held on Wednesday at the Flaxmere Community Centre. Workshops were preferred by many people to individual study, she said.

"After the Wednesday workshop and we push the last people through learner, we are going to move on to restricted, then full."

The programme cycle would be repeated. At a recent registration day, 104 wanted their learner licence, 86 their restricted, and 17 their full licence.

She said the cost of sitting a licence would remain in place, to prove commitment and motivation.

The programme is run with the assistance of police and the Hastings District Council. "It was awesome having them there - I knew I wouldn't be able to properly complete what I wanted to do without help." The programme is aimed at Flaxmere residents but was not exclusive to them, Hastings District Council Flaxmere community development project manager Robyn Smith said.