An Auckland driving school is helping former refugees and migrants gain their independence one licence at a time.
The Puketāpapa Community Driving School (PCDS) has only been on the road for a year and it is already speeding to success.
Last Wednesday, Hemangi Mistry passed her full driver's licence test after 22 lessons with PCDS.
The 38-year-old moved to New Zealand from India 15 years ago, and has not driven a car in the last 12 years.
"I'm so happy," she said.
"They taught me in such a way that when I booked for my test, I passed in my first attempt," Ms Mistry said. "I'm now an independent woman - I can go to work and drop my kids to school and activities."
"Now that's my biggest milestone I've covered."
For migrants like Ms Mistry, a New Zealand drivers' licence is a key requirement when trying to land a full-time job.
The school's coordinator, Amie Maga, said the specialised programmes were proving fundamental in integrating migrants and former refugees into the community.
"Even learning English is a struggle," Ms Maga said. "Learning to drive is another big struggle for them so we really want to help these communities."
With four qualified instructors and a team of more than 30 volunteer mentors, the school teaches everything drivers need to know - from Road Code classes and getting a car in gear to mock practical tests and licence conversion programmes.
Harry Doig, Puketāpapa Local Board chairman, cutting the ribbon for one of Puketāpapa Community Driving School’s vehicles on its opening day. Photo: Supplied
PCDS aimed to have 150 learner drivers enrolled in its programmes, but at the end of its first year, it has helped more than 270 people, maintains a success rate of over 70 percent and has a waitlist tallying 200.
A former migrant herself, Ms Maga was one of the first to sign up to the course when it began.
She is now the driving school's lead coordinator, and strives to give back to others like herself through the PCDS programme.
She said for every four paying students, PCDS subsidised the driver training for one former refugee or young person.
"They're helping themselves to be job ready and then it's heartwarming that they know they're able to support a young person or a former refugee who needs extra support," Ms Maga said.
She said nine refugees have already successfully passed their restricted tests through the school.
Margaret Fernandes migrated to New Zealand from Mumbai in 2017 and, despite being able to drive on her Indian licence, she wanted to learn the local code.
Ms Fernandes said passing her full licence allowed her to apply for full-time jobs and the school's impact went far beyond simply building a driver's confidence.
"For me, what really struck a chord was mainly the one-on-one connect," she said. "And knowing that the money that I put into this programme actually goes back into helping other migrants and refugees."
She said if it hadn't been for the time volunteered by her mentors at PCDS, she might not have had the courage to get her local licence.
Ms Maga hopes to help more migrants like Hemangi and Margaret in the future with a new $7000 driving simulator the school is fundraising for.
The simulator would help more migrants and refugees get safely on the road to a successful career, she said.
She would like to see more Kiwis enrol at the school so they could learn to be safe drivers and give back to their community, she said.