The Driving Academy - Hamilton

Don't miss out on the opportunity at The Driving Academy Hamilton! We are offering the Street Talk Defensive Driving Course for $239 at Rototuna High School Library for the March sessions. This course is designed to help you get your full licence faster and become a safer driver.
Seats are limited, so make sure to book early to secure your spot. The course will take place from 6pm to 8pm on the following dates:
- March 10th: Total Driving Picture
- March 12th: Risk and Reality
- March 17th: Managing Change
- March 19th: Hazard Training Guide
The course will be followed by a practical assessment. Book now to take advantage of this special offer! Visit https://www.thedrivingacademyhamilton.com/book-online

Changes coming next year

The way people get a driver licence is changing. Here are the changes to the learner, restricted and full licences.

From 25 January 2027 people will no longer need to sit a test to get a full driver licence. You’ll graduate from your restricted to full licence if you keep a clean driving record while on your restricted licence.

The length of time you'll be on your restricted will extend by 6 months each time you get any demerit points.

We’re also rebalancing the licensing system to ensure learners gain the skills and experience they need to drive safely.

For people under 25, the learner period will extend to 12 months. You'll be able to reduce the learner period to 6 months by completing an approved practical course or recording supervised driving hours. Additionally, the default restricted licence period is reducing from 18 to 12 months. You can still get a full licence by age 17-and-a-half if you reduce your learner period.

People over 25 will still have minimum learner and restricted periods of 6 months each. There will no longer be the option to reduce their minimum restricted period to 3 months by completing a course.

All current licence holders will move to the new system on 25 January 2027. This means learner and restricted drivers will be subject to the new licence periods and rules from this date.

The current system still applies until 25 January 2027. Until then, you still need to sit a full licence test if you want to graduate from a restricted licence to a full licence.

Our website has more detail on the changes: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/car-licence-changes

Learn to drive using Drive, our official way to learn. Drive has everything you need to get ready for your learner, restricted, and full licence tests: https://www.drive.govt.nz