A driver licence is a privilege, not a right.
Last week a new handful of driver mentors and mentees joined Hurunui District Council’s Driver Mentor Programme, they met in Culverden for their first driving lesson, or to learn how to instruct.
Culverden woman Jane Schwass is a mentor, and was in the back seat during fellow local Angus Sullivan’s first driving lesson to see how it’s done. Next time Jane will be in the passenger seat.
Her job is to help Angus create good consistent habits behind the wheel, so he can achieve this privilege of earning a driver licence.
It was through word-of-mouth that Jane heard about the opportunity to be a driver mentor, and figured that as a mother of four children, she was keen to put her experience into good use again.
“And it’s a lovely opportunity to give back to the community,” she said.
The main focus of the Driver Mentor Programme is to create opportunities for residents of Hurunui District to learn how to drive, so they can get to work and out and about socially. The Programme acknowledges that living rurally can come with its challenges of isolation, therefore sometimes less access to a vehicle to learn in, or an instructor.
The Programme was launched in July 2022.
Jane said as a mentor, she feels a sense of responsibility to help these drivers achieve independence and confidence.
“It’s about providing an opportunity, it’s about helping them create a future.”
Image: Left to right – Driver mentor Yvonne Cheney, Mentee Angus Sullivan, Driver mentor Jane Schwass.
To learn more about the Driver Mentor Programme, please visit
