Why attend a defensive driving course
Whether you’re on your learner or restricted licence, you can reduce the time it takes to get your full licence by six months when you complete an NZTA approved AA Defensive Driving Course. This means you could apply for your full licence as early as 17½ years old.
The AA Defensive Driving Course will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to be a smarter and safer driver. You’ll learn important defensive driving skills, such as assessing and identifying hazards, so you can reduce the risk of being in a crash.
The course takes 9 hours to complete and includes:
- 4 classroom sessions
- 1 in-car session
- Access to the online driver training system
Please note: Course fees are non-refundable. For full details, read the terms and conditions.
AA Defensive Driving Course locations
| City/town | Suburb | Street address |
|---|---|---|
| North Shore | Long Bay | Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre, 1045 Beach Road, Long Bay |
| North Shore | Albany | AA Traveller office, Building 2, 61 Constellation Drive, Albany |
| North Shore | Glenfield | Glenfield College, 60 Kaipatiki Road, Glenfield |
| North Shore | Northcote/Takapuna | YMCA Northcote, 5 Akoranga Drive, Northcote |
| Central Auckland | Mt Roskill | AA Centre, 6A Carr Road, Mt Roskill |
| Central Auckland | Penrose/Ellerslie | AA Penrose, 419 Great South Road, Penrose |
| Central Auckland | Parnell | Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Road, Parnell |
| Central Auckland | Mount Albert | UNITEC, Building 115, 139 Carrington Road, Mount Albert |
| East Auckland | Saint Heliers | Saint Heliers Church & Community Centre, 100 Saint Heliers Bay Road, St Heliers |
| East Auckland | Howick | Uxbridge Arts & Culture, 35 Uxbridge road, Howick |
| East Auckland | Pakuranga | Te Tuhi, 13 Reeves Road, Pakuranga |
| East Auckland | Mangere | Airport Garden Inn, 12 Tidal Road, Mangere |
| South Auckland | Manukau | AUT, South campus, ME block, 640 Great South Road, Manukau |
| West Auckland | Westgate | AA Centre, 14 Westgate Drive, Westgage Shopping Centre |
| Whangarei | Whangarei | ASB Lounge, 97 Western Hills Drive, Kensington Park, Whangarei |
| Thames | Thames | Jack McLean Recreation Centre, Thames High School, 737 Rolleston St, Thames |
| Kerikeri | Kerikeri | Kerikeri High School. Hone Heke Road, Kerikeri |
| Christchurch | Sydenham | AA Sydenham, Cnr Brougham Street and Buchan Street |
| Christchurch | Riccarton | Harcourts, 88 Division Street, Riccarton, Christchurch |
| Christchurch | Hornby | The Wigram Base Hotel, 14 Henry Wigram Drive, Hornby |
| Christchurch | Rolleston | Rolleston Community Centre, 94 Rolleston Drive, Rolleston |
| Hamilton | Hamilton City | WINTEC, Bill Gallagher Centre, Gate 3 off Tristram Street |
| Hamilton | Hamilton East | Waikato Migrant Resource Centre, 46G Boundary Road, Claudelands |
| Rotorua | Rotorua | AA Rotorua, 1121 Eruera Street, Rotorua |
| Lower Hutt | Lower Hutt | Russel Keown House, 1 Knights Road, Lower Hutt |
| New Plymouth | Taranaki | YMCA Taranaki, 83 Liardet Street, New Plymouth |
| New Plymouth | Taranaki | BLENNZ (Flight House), New Plymouth Girls High School |
| Hastings | Hastings | Flaxmere Baptist Church, 60 Caernarvon Drive, Flaxmere |
| Whanganui | Whanganui | New Zealand Red Cross, 110 Guyton Street, Whanganui |
| Waihi | Waihi | Waihi Memorial Hall, 41 Seddon St, Waihi |
| Palmerston North | Palmerston North | AA Centre, 227 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North |
| Wellington | Porirua | Mana College, Awarua Street, Eldson, Porirua |
| Wellington | Wellington Central | Multicultural Learning & Support Services, 39 Web Street, Mt Cook, Wellington |
| Wellington | Johnsonville | Johnsonville Community Centre, 3 Frankmoore Avenue, Johnsonville, Wellington |
| Wellington | Karori | Karori Community Centre, 7 Beauchamp Street, Karori |
| Wellington | Kapiti Coast | Te Newhanga Kapity Community Centre, 15 Ngahina St, Paraparaumu |
| Wellington | Thorndon | St Mary's College, Guildford Terrace, Thorndon |
| Wellington | Whitby, Porirua | Whitby Bowling Club, Discovery Drive, Adventure Park, Porirua |
| Wellington | Tawa | Tawa Community Centre, Linden Room, 5 Cambridge Street, Tawa |
Who can attend
Learner licence holders
Doing the course while you have your learner licence will help you pass your restricted licence test. It includes a one hour in-car session which develops your driving skills. People who have attended a defensive driving course are more likely to pass their restricted test on their first try. You’ll be able to attend a defensive driving course once you’ve had your learner licence and some driving experience.
If you complete a DDC while on your learner or restricted licence, it will mean you reduce the time you're required to spend on your restricted licence by 6 months.
Restricted licence holders
People who have attended a defensive driving course are 10% more likely to pass their full licence test on the first try. It also reduces the time you’ll spend on your restricted licence by 6 months. If you're over 25, the time on your restricted licence is reduced from 6 months to 3 months.
Full licence holders
Even full licence holders benefit from completing the AA Defensive Driving Course. If you're a police recruit, a court referral, completing a Police Diversion programme or want to refresh your driving knowledge and skill base, you’ve come to the right place. The AA Defensive Driving Course is designed specifically for you.
What it includes
4 classroom sessions
We use a state of the art online learning system that shows real-life driving situations filmed on New Zealand roads during the theory sessions. The course has informative DVDs and discusses various scenarios, observations and hazards to improve understanding
1 in-car session
This helps identify any bad habits you may have picked up and provides you with the skills and abilities to address them before you take your practical driving test. The instructor will take you through a practice full licence test and give you advice on how to pass comfortably.
If you finish all the coursework and the practical drive within 60 days after the last classroom session, you’ll get your certificate at the end.
Online learning
When you attend an AA Defensive Driving Course you get full access to this state of the art programme that you can use from your home computer.
It focuses on driving skills, such as visual search and situation awareness that are directly linked to crash risk. eDrive shows real-life driving situations filmed on NZ roads with you right in the driver’s seat.
