Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Aucklanders wanting to sit their drivers test are having to wait almost a year for an appointment, and some are travelling elsewhere to get tested.
But the Transport Agency (NZTA) says queues are moving faster.
Aucklander Paul Brislen says his teenage daughter will sit her restricted rest in Hamilton in mid-December instead, as the earliest slot she could find locally was July 2025.
Earlier this year, the government announced it was scrapping unlimited free re-sits for driving tests in a bid to cull long wait times.
Sitting full driver licence taking several months to book
Counties Driving School driving instructor Alistair McGregor told First Up it didn't surprise him some people were having to wait up to 11 months for an appointment.
"I'm based in Pukekohe and currently here, the next available appointments [are] for some point in early January, so there is still major delays and major discomfort for people trying to make driver test booking."
McGregor said he's aware of some students travelling as far as Wairoa to avoid the long wait times, despite the risks of sitting the test in an unfamiliar environment, and costs to make the trip.
He understood NZTA had made changes but was yet to see any noticeable impact.
"We've seen a quite an influx for overseas licence conversions and that seems to have also added to the delay factor," McGregor said.
"Now there are some steps now of course previously [that] would be a year before they had to sit New Zealand licence test. Now, that's been extended to 18 months in order to release the strain on the testing system, but the reality there is you've got people from overseas who may not be quite up to our standards who will drive on the roads for now an extended period of time before being able to get a converted licence to New Zealand."
McGregor stressed the importance of students needing their first license to avoid delays in moving into the workforce after school, saying some would resort to driving on their learner's.
"Students set up late at night looking online to see whether a cancellation comes up, so it's in many cases a lottery whether they get a test or not," he said.
"You've got a student who's ready to take the test ready to, denied that ability to take the test. Two months to wait for a test is incredibly frustrating for people and that's where there could be a problem where they start to take risks on the road by driving in an unlicensed state."
Transport Minister Simeon Brown says NZTA has recruited 52 additional driver testing officers and 19 temporary officers to combat the queues.
He said the government's target is for 90 percent of practical tests to be completed within 30 days of booking.
Brown declined an interview on First Up
In a statement, NZTA said wait times are down, even in cities like Auckland.
"We're starting to see wait times trend down overall, and we expect this to continue as we're implementing the initiatives outlined below," it said.
"For example, nationally, full tests wait times have reduced from 52.3 days in March 2024 to 34.8 days in October 2024. For restricted test slots over the same period, wait times have reduced from 59.7 days in March to 45.8 days in October.
"Demand is particularly high in Auckland, but we're also seeing consistent improvements in the city, and we expect this continue. Wait times in the first two weeks of October were down to 58 days for full tests and 72 for restricted tests. This compares to 73 days for full tests and 81 days for restricted tests in August."
NZTA said the annual demand for tests was up by nearly 60 percent and an additional 85 full time equivalent officers have been employed to meet the increase. It costs about $25,000 to train a new officer.