A guide for supervisors and parents

Supervising a learner is one of the best things you can do for their safety. Here is what the law requires, how much practice helps, and how to keep drives calm and useful.

 

Who can supervise

• You need a full NZ licence held for at least 2 years, or an equivalent overseas full licence held for at least 2 years.

• Sit in the front passenger seat and carry your licence.

• You must be fit to drive: not tired, and under the legal alcohol limit.

• You are legally in charge of the car and everyone in it.

 

How much practice

• NZTA recommends about 120 hours of supervised driving before the restricted test. That is around 2 to 2½ hours a week for a year.

• Once the basics are solid, everyday trips like the supermarket or sports practice all count.

• Keep a log of each drive in the Drive Go app or a notebook in the car. From 25 January 2027, learners under 25 must hold their learner licence for 12 months, but logged supervised practice can cut this to 6 months. NZTA has proposed 60 hours, recorded in its new digital logbook (a paper option is planned). The final number hasn't been confirmed yet, so it's worth keeping a record of your practice drives now.

 

Build skills step by step

• Car park: seat and mirrors, moving off and stopping, steering.

• Quiet streets: intersections, give way rules and indicating.

• Busier roads: roundabouts, merging and changing lanes.

• Different conditions: night, rain, rural roads and motorways.

• Test skills: parking, U-turns, 3-point turns and hazard commentary.

 

Tips for calm drives

• Plan the route and keep early drives short.

• Give instructions early and clearly, for example "At the next intersection, turn left."

• Keep your voice calm, and save longer feedback for when you have stopped.

• Ask your learner to talk through what they can see. This is hazard commentary, and it builds good scanning habits.

• End each drive with one thing they did well and one thing to work on.

• Lead by example. Learners copy the habits they see.

 

Free resources to use together

• Tips sheets: one-page guides to each skill.

• NZ driving test checklist to see what the testing officer looks for.

• Learner licence practice questions and the full practice theory test.

• Skills guides and videos.

 

When to book a lesson

A lesson early on helps set good habits from the start, and a lesson or practice test before the test shows exactly what still needs work. Find a recommended instructor.