Wall Louisa: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Wall Louisa: Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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LOUISA WALL (Labour) 
: 
 Kia ora Mr Chairperson. Tena koutou katoa. It is my privilege to follow my colleagues and to speak on Part 1 of the Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. I obviously have not been here to listen to the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee hearings but to begin I state my support for initiatives that make the journeys of all New Zealanders on our roads safer. 
Paul Quinn 
: Did Phil write this? 
LOUISA WALL 
: No I did actually. It is devastating when we lose those we love through road crashes and I support evidence-based initiatives that protect all of us when we are travelling on New Zealand roads that address the design of our roads that address the design and safety standards of our vehicles and that reflect the current behaviours and needs of all New Zealanders and the roles they play within their families and communities. 
I will specifically speak about the proposal to raise the minimum licensing age from 15 years to 16 years. I actually agree with some of the ACT members which is interesting. Our Labour team does not support the increase from 15 years to 16 years but we do support the extension in the learner-licensing period. We do not support this proposal because there is no evidence that raising the age will reduce accidents for 15-year-olds. One cannot attribute teenage crash rates to the age at which we or our young people start driving. 
Michael Woodhouse 
: Why not make it 12 or 11? 
LOUISA WALL 
: No 12 is ridiculous is it not? 
Hon Member 
: Make it 25. 
LOUISA WALL 
: Yes make it 25; that was that member’s answer. In essence Labour supports an extended learner-licensing period that allows young drivers from the age of 15 to safely garner driving experience and hopefully with a bit of maturity to obtain their full driving privileges. We agree that young people who have limited driving skills are more at risk of having an accident but this risk applies not only to 15-year-olds but to any person whatever their age when they start driving. It is about the act of driving learning to drive and the experience of driving as opposed to the age one starts to drive. 
I support the position of Federated Farmers which will probably shock some people over there the Automobile Association and Students Against Drunk Driving who totally oppose raising the minimum driving age because of the impact on their communities of interest and because it will not do much to increase road safety which is the primary intention of this bill. The Federated Farmers spokesperson Donald Aubrey supports Labour’s position that young people need to be supervised and that extending the learner-licensing period from 6 to 12 months would improve safety so that our young people would have greater opportunities to become good drivers. If one lives rurally the reality is that one has to travel to get to school work and sports. I actually got in my first senior team when I was 12 but I remember when I was 15—and that was a few years ago obviously—I had to learn to drive to get to my training. My parents actually encouraged me to get my licence early which enabled me to make my netball training. I then got into the South Waikato team and I eventually made it into the Silver Ferns. The reality is I could not have done that if I did not have the opportunity to drive. This proposal not only limits the opportunities of young people like me— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Somebody would have dropped you off. I used to get my brothers to drop me off all over the place. 
LOUISA WALL 
: —is that right; well I say “Good on you”—but also creates more pressure on parents and caregivers. We have to look at families within the wider context particularly those who live rurally. Actually John Carter will know. He would support the fact that we should not be increasing the driving age. 
I acknowledge that New Zealanders have a high teenage crash rate for 15 to 19-year-olds but again I highlight that no research can attribute the rates of crashes to the age at which those people started driving. I reiterate Labour’s position that an extended supervised period from 6 months to 12 months where young people have more supervised driving experience is what is needed. Why does the Government over there not put its hand in its pocket and make sure our kids are getting the education they need? It is focused on national standards; what about creating some standards in this area and ensuring our children can continue to participate as I said in sport and other activities? Why is the Government not doing that? I am here to support my colleagues and I thank them for providing me with the notes that have enabled me to participate in this debate. We will continue to advocate for 15-year-olds to continue to have an opportunity to be licensed. We put pressure on the Government to ensure 15-year-olds have the skills and the education to make them safe.