The logic of a penal reform charity which seeks to reduce New Zealand's high rate of incarceration by helping these people get their licences is simple.
If a released prisoner gets a driver's licence, he or she is very much more likely to find employment on release.
Those who find work are much less likely to re-offend and get another jail term.
I believe that this programme which began in Hawke's Bay in 2014 is at least in part responsible for New Zealand's incarceration rate falling over the past three years.
The 18 Howard League driving instructors who run the programme interface with around 500 clients per month, referred to them by Probation or police officers.
These are predominantly poor members of an underclass that exists on part-time work, low wages or, more often, benefits.
We have found that they seldom have the NZCovid Tracer app on their cellphones and are mostly not vaccinated.
Our instructors are asked to encourage their clients to get vaccinated and report there are a range of reasons why they have not had their jabs.
Very few, if any, are what might be called hard core "anti vaxxers".
The most common reason is that as we mainly operate in regions of New Zealand that have been largely Covid free, vaccinations are simply "not on their radar".
Many of these when offered a lift to get their jab will happily comply and perhaps when Aucklanders are free to travel and the virus inevitably spreads, this reason will fall away.
Another reason is a deep mistrust of anything promoted by a government that they interact with mainly via the police.
This kind of objection is more difficult to overcome, though older Māori who do have a high rate of vaccination are doing a good job in convincing some of the more hesitant younger people.
We have also come across pure misinformation picked up from social media sites. This includes the truly bizarre belief that having the vaccine somehow magnetises you so you might stick to your refrigerator.
We distributed a "facts about the Pfizer vaccine" sheet to our instructors who, as trusted helpers have had considerable success at convincing the hesitant to get their jabs.
We do have a particular worry about how many of these people will be able to get their vaccine pass when these are required as the county enters the "traffic light" system of Covid control next month.
I was effortlessly able to get mine on day one of availability as I have a Realme registration and could easily go online to the right website.
Internet access is by no means universal as the Department of Statistics found to its cost trying to complete the most recent New Zealand census by purely online methods.
Attempting to get a vaccine pass for a friend who has neither a driver's licence or a passport proved difficult and the Health Department website that rejected any attempt to get past the identification phase of the process advised me to call 0800 222 478.
After a number of attempts I managed to reach a very helpful person who offered to send a verification code by email.
This suited what I was trying to do for my friend, but this avenue also offered a solution for those with no internet access.
We know, both from the census, and from the of pupils who could not engage in remote schooling during the first Covid lockdown because their homes did not have the internet online, that online contact is not universally available.
There is, however, an alternative that should be more widely promoted.
You can use your National Health Index number on the 0800 service. The NHI numbers are how the health system identifies us.
About 95 per cent of citizens have these numbers.
They can be accessed via your GP, and they appear on the receipt you are provided with when you get a prescription.
By phoning 0800 222 478 and quoting your NHI you can have your vaccine pass mailed out to you.
- Mike Williams grew up in Hawke's Bay. He is chief executive of the NZ Howard League and a former Labour Party president. All opinions are his and not those of Hawke's Bay Today.
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