1

Page 1

• Purpose
• 1.   Approval
• 2.   Organisational approvals
• 3.   Approved course content for class 2,3,4,5, passenger (P) and vehicle recovery (V) endorsement courses
• 4.   Approved course content for forklift (F), dangerous goods (D), wheels (W), tracks (T), rollers (R), driving instructor (I) endorsement courses and class 2–5 learner licence course for persons 25 years of age or over
• 5.   Conducting approved driver licensing courses
• 6.   Certificates and registers

Purpose

This document is a statement of approval conditions imposed under clause 102 (2) of the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 on any individual or organisation approved to conduct NZ Transport Agency (Transport Agency) approved driver licensing courses.

The purpose of this document is to clarify and supplement any existing requirements contained in associated documentation, legislation, policies and procedure. This statement shall therefore be read and applied in conjunction with any other relevant documents which may include, but are not limited to, the following list:

• Land Transport Act 1998 (the Act)
• Road User Charges Act 2012
• Health and Safety at Work Act 20152016
• Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999
• Road User Charges Regulations 2012
• Land Transport Rule: Tyres and Wheels 2001
• Land Transport Rule: Passenger Service Vehicles 1999
• Land Transport Rule: Door Retention Systems 2001
• Land Transport Rule: Glazing Windscreen Wash and Wipe and Mirrors 1999
• Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Equipment 2004
• Land Transport Rule: Heavy Vehicles 2004
• Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (the Rule)
• Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005
• Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004
• Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Lighting 2004
• Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004
• Land Transport Rule: Work Time and Logbooks 2007
• Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2007
• Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2002
• Industry Training Organisation (ITO) assessment schedules, marking guides and (if applicable) the appropriate study guides, trainer guides, and trainee activity books.
• ITO code of practice
• ITO assessor policy and procedure manual
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) unit standards
• The official New Zealand truck loading code (published by the NZ Transport Agency)
• Learning system for driving instructors syllabus
• The official New Zealand road codes
• Safety code for forklift truck operators: No 1 front loading forklift trucks (published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
• Approved code of practice for training operators and instructors of powered industrial lift trucks (forklifts) (published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
• Operator safety manual for earthmoving machinery (published by Connexis).

The relevance of these documents will vary depending on which type of course the provider is approved to conduct.

The list shall include any subsequent amendments to the listed documents.

1.   Approval

1.1 Pursuant to clauses 99–102 of the Rule, the Transport Agency may approve organisations or individuals to conduct approved driver licensing courses and issue course completion certificates. Such approval is subject to any conditions or requirements specified in this document, the Rule, the Act, or any applicable NZQA or ITO assessor policy or procedure.

1.2  Where the provider approval is for an organisation (as opposed to an individual), refer to the special provisions in section 2 below.

1.3 An approved provider must notify any change of physical business address to the nearest Transport Agency regional office within seven days of relocation.

1.4 Any person approved as an individual course provider or any assessor approved to work for an approved course provider organisation must advise the nearest Transport Agency regional office immediately of any change to the status of their driver licence that would preclude them from being able to legally drive on a road (eg disqualification, suspension, expiry).

2.   Organisational approvals

2.1 Any organisation approved as a provider may employ or contract the services of an approved assessor. The provider shall not allow any person to conduct courses under their approval unless the Transport Agency has issued that person with a certificate of authorisation to conduct driver licensing courses. The certificate of authorisation is specific to the person, the type of course they can conduct, and the organisation they may conduct it for.

2.2 Should an assessor cease to be employed or contracted as an assessor by the approved organisation, the organisation shall immediately notify the Transport Agency of the changed situation in writing so the certificate of authorisation can be withdrawn.

2.3 The provider shall be directly responsible and accountable for the actions or inactions of any person they employ or contract to conduct courses under their organisational approval. To this end the provider shall ensure that all assessors have read, are fully aware of, and comply with the contents of this document at all times.

2.4 In applying to be an approved provider, the organisation must have provided a recorded organisational structure in which accountability within the organisation is clearly identified. Should this structure change, the provider shall immediately notify their local Transport Agency regional office of any changes in writing.

2.5  The provider shall also maintain a register of assessors as specified in clause 6.2 of this document.

3.   Approved course content for class 2,3,4,5, passenger (P) and vehicle recovery (V) endorsement courses

3.1 In the case of approved Transport Agency driver licensing courses for classes 2, 3, 4, 5, passenger (P) and vehicle recovery (V) endorsement, approved course content requires trainees to complete both training and assessment requirements as detailed below:

1. Training – as prescribed in the relevant MITO trainer guide (as shown in the table on page 4). This represents the minimum course training requirement. In delivering this training providers must cover the modules and associated training activities prescribed in the trainer guide. Providers may however, supplement (add to) the prescribed training and activities using their own resources if they wish to do so.

2. Assessment — as prescribed in the relevant course unit standards (as shown in the table below).

Note : The MITO trainer guides, trainee activity booklets and unit standards (including the corresponding assessment schedules) referred to above are to be the version current at the time the course training and assessment is commenced.

3.2  Exemptions from course requirements

Unit standard 24089 (demonstrate knowledge of fatigue management, work time, driver logbook requirements) – where a trainee provides evidence of having previously successfully completed course requirements for unit standard 24089 (as part of another approved driver licensing course) the following requirements apply:

1. If course requirements relating to unit standard 24089 were successfully completed within 12 months of the current course – there is no requirement to complete training or assessment.
2. If course requirements for 24089 were successfully completed more than 12 months prior to the current course – the provider shall confirm that the trainee has retained the knowledge and skills to be competent in this unit.
   
   This shall be achieved by either:
   1. the provider reviewing seven consecutive days of logbook pages completed by the trainee within the preceding 12 months; or
   2. the trainee completing any one of the approved course logbook scenarios.

In confirming competency in either (i) or (ii) above, the required standard is that all completed logbook pages satisfy legal requirements.

This evidence must be documented and placed with the trainee’s course documentation (ie photocopy logbook pages or retain completed logbook scenario). If the trainee fails to meet the required standard the provider shall require the trainee to complete the full course requirements (including training) in relation to unit standard 24089.

3.3  Exemptions from training requirements

The only exemptions from course training requirements relate to the following situations:

1. Class 4 courses – as the class 2 and 4 study guide and trainer kit are the same, where a trainee provides evidence of having completed the approved driver licensing course for class 2, they will not be required to undergo the theory training component of the class 4 course. They must however still satisfy the practical training and full assessment requirements .
2. Class 5 courses – as the class 3 and 5 study guide and trainer kit are the same, where a trainee provides evidence of having completed the approved driver licensing course for class 3, they will not be required to undergo the theory training component of the class 5 course. They must however still satisfy the practical training and full assessment requirements .

3.4 Where an exemption contained in clause 3.2 or 3.3 is applied in relation to an approved driver licensing course, the provider must place a copy of the evidence provided by the trainee (in relation to previously completed courses) with the trainee’s course documentation. Please note that a trainee’s
NZQA record of learning/record of achievement is not acceptable evidence, as this does not verify that the unit was completed as part of a Transport Agency approved driver licensing course.

4.   Approved course content for forklift (F), dangerous goods (D), wheels (W), tracks (T), rollers (R), driving instructor (I) endorsement courses and class 2–5 learner licence course for persons 25 years of age or over

4.1  In the case of approved driver licensing courses for forklift (F), dangerous goods (D), wheels (W), tracks (T), and rollers (R) endorsements, approved course content requires trainees to successfully complete the relevant unit standard based courses as detailed in the table below.

Note: The unit standards (including the corresponding assessment schedules) referred to above are to be the version current at the time the assessment is commenced.

4.2  In the case of approved driver licensing courses for class 2–5 learner licence course for persons 25 years of age or over, and driving instructor (I) endorsement, approved course content requires trainees to successfully complete the relevant course content as detailed in the table below.

5.   Conducting approved driver licensing courses

5.1 The provider shall maintain such standards of competency and integrity in respect of the provision of the course as the Transport Agency considers appropriate.

5.2 The provider shall conduct all approved driver licensing courses in accordance with the requirements of this document and any other relevant rule, act, regulation
or any applicable NZQA or ITO assessor policy or procedure. For avoidance of doubt where any NZQA or ITO assessor/assessment policy or procedure conflicts with Transport Agency approved driver licensing course requirements, the Transport Agency requirements shall take precedence.

5.3 The provider shall comply with any conditions or requirements specified in relevant Transport Agency approved assessment schedules and any special notes or entry criteria contained in the course unit standards.

5.4 Trainees must be fully assessed against all the questions/tasks specified in the approved Transport Agency course assessment schedule(s).

5.5 All assessment evidence gathered by the assessor must be documented on the approved course assessment schedule(s).

5.6  The provider must satisfy the prescribed course content when conducting any Transport Agency approved driver licensing course (see section 3 and section 4 ). In the case of class 2, 3, 4, 5, P and V endorsement courses this will include the mandated training (as prescribed in the relevant MITO trainer guides) and assessment of the relevant course unit standards.

5.7  Where exemptions to the specified course content may apply (as detailed in clause 3.2 and clause 3.3 of this document) the provider must place a copy of the evidence provided by the trainee (in relation to previously completed courses) with the trainee's course documentation.

5.8 The provider shall not alter the content of any courses or vary from the conditions of approval in any way without prior written consent from the Transport Agency. The only exception to this requirement is when conducting the training component of courses in relation to class 2, 3, 4, 5, P and V endorsement, the provider may supplement (add to) the training and activities prescribed in the MITO trainer guide without obtaining prior written consent from the Transport Agency.

5.9 All Transport Agency approved driver licensing courses shall be conducted using only assessment schedules (and training material where it is prescribed as part of the approved course content) that has been approved for use by the Transport Agency.

5.10 When considering assessment evidence the assessor must take cognisance of the appropriate approved Transport Agency marking guides. While the answers provided by the trainee are not required to mirror word for word those shown in the marking guides, trainees must nevertheless correctly and fully complete all questions/tasks. Where approved Transport Agency marking guides provide a judgement statement, they must be fully satisfied for the trainee to be deemed to have achieved competency.

Any unanswered questions or answers provided that are incorrect or incomplete must result in a ‘not yet competent’ outcome. Candidates can be provided a re-assessment.

5.11 The course venue shall be appropriate for that purpose and be conducive to the trainee successfully completing the course. It shall be of sufficient size for the number of trainees undertaking the course and also be sufficiently quiet and free from interruptions at all times. Furthermore it shall provide the trainee with adequate lighting, heating, ventilation, tables and chairs. Toilet facilities shall be available and maintained in a clean and tidy state at all times.

5.12 Where the approved course content includes mandatory training requirements, training may only be conducted by a person who holds the relevant course provider approval as an individual, or in the case of a person conducting the course under an approved course provider organisation, holds the relevant certificate of authorisation.

5.13 The provider shall, prior to commencing the course, confirm the identity of the trainee by an appropriate means of identification. Preferably this should be achieved where possible by photographic means with documents such as a driver licence or passport. Where this is not possible identity may be verified by comparing the trainee’s signature against another document.

5.14 Where appropriate the trainee’s driver licence is checked prior to commencing the course to confirm that they hold a current New Zealand driver licence of the appropriate class that satisfies the course entry criteria as specified in either the relevant course unit standards or Transport Agency course criteria. In relation to class 2–5 courses this means that prior to conducting any prescribed mandatory training for unit standards 17574 (class 2), 17575 (class 3), 17576 (class 4), or 17577 (class 5) the provider shall ensure that the trainee holds a current learner licence for the appropriate class of vehicle.

5.15 Where a trainee undertakes a course for either class 2,3,4,5, P or V endorsement, the provider must issue each trainee (either prior to or at the commencement of the course) original copies of the MITO study guides appropriate to the course being undertaken. Each trainee must retain the study guides at the completion of the course for future reference and reinforcement of information. The only exception to this requirement is where the trainee wishes to complete either a class 4 or 5 course and they can produce their own copy of the relevant study guide that they have obtained from having previously completed either the class 2 or 3 course.

5.16 Where the approved course includes mandatory training (as specified in section 3 of this document) the training must be conducted (including the required training activities) in a training room environment by the person who is approved to conduct the training. No training or training activities contained in the trainee activity booklet may be completed by distance learning.

5.17  Where the approved course includes mandatory training (as specified in section 3 ) each individual trainer must have the appropriate original and complete MITO trainer guide in the training room when delivering the training.

5.18  Where the approved course content includes mandatory training requirements (as specified in section 3 ) the provider will ensure that an Acknowledgement of completion of theory training form and an Acknowledgement of completionof practical training form (if applicable) are completed at the conclusion of training requirements and are retained with the trainee’s course documentation.

5.19 The provider shall ensure that answers to written assessment questions are recorded in ink (not pencil) and that any changes/alterations to answers are clearly visible (ie changed answers are crossed out with a single line rather than concealed by the use of whiteout or masking products).

5.20 Where all or part of a course assessment (including any reassessments) are conducted orally the assessor must record the trainee’s exact response when answering the question(s). Questions that are delivered orally must be exactly as they are written in the assessment activity and cannot be altered or restated in different words.

5.21 Where a trainee is not yet achieved in any assessment item of the course assessment, the assessor shall record on the assessment schedule the trainee’s responses/actions that led the assessor to make this judgement.

5.22 All trainees must be fully assessed against all requirements contained in the approved Transport Agency course assessment schedule(s). Recognition of current competency (RCC) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) as defined by the NZQA may not be used for driver licence courses.

5.23 Where an approved course includes mandatory training (as specified in section 3 of this document) the assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the mandated training. Any competencies displayed by the trainee during the training component of the course may not be used as evidence of competency for assessment purposes.

5.24 The provider shall only issue a course completion certificate where the trainee has satisfied all course requirements and the course documentation supports the outcome of the trainee having successfully completed the course.

5.25 The approved driver licensing course completion certificates shall be signed only by the person who has conducted the course assessment. In the case of courses that have been conducted by more than one assessor, the course completion certificate shall be signed by either all persons who have assessed the course unit standards, or by the person who has assessed the last unit standard that completes the course. The use of scanned signatures on course certificates is not permitted as these can be generated by persons other than the course assessor.

5.26 For Transport Agency audit purposes the provider shall retain the completed trainee course documentation (see definitions ). The completed trainee course documentation shall be retained by the provider for 18 months from the date that the course was completed.

5.27 When conducting any course that includes practical driving requirements, the provider shall ensure that:

1. the vehicle used meets the driver licensing class and endorsement specifications (if applicable) contained in schedules 3 and 4 of the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999, and
2. all legal requirements relating to the vehicle, and its use on the road are complied with, and
3. the trainee is carrying an appropriate and current driver licence with them during any practical training or assessment.

5.28 When completing the practical course requirements relating specifically to classes 2–5, the provider shall ensure that:

1. practical urban driving assessments for class 2–5 courses are only undertaken in the approved locations as specified on the NZ Transport Agency site.
   
   This will ensure that the trainee will have their practical urban driving skills assessed in an environment providing sufficient traffic situations and interaction with other road users to allow the assessor to gather evidence of the trainee’s driving skills and make an appropriate judgement.
   
   In special circumstances where the provider wishes to conduct a practical driving assessment in a location that is not listed on the website (see above), the provider may apply for an exemption from the Transport Agency regional office responsible for their area. In such a case the practical assessment may not be conducted until a written exemption is obtained from the Transport Agency and retained with the trainee's course documentation. Any exemptions granted will be specific to a particular assessment only and will not be generic.
2. the assessor holds a current driving instructor endorsement for the class of vehicle in which the practical training or assessment is being conducted
3. agricultural tractors or any other special type vehicle (see definitions ) are not used for practical training or assessment for classes 2–5 courses.
4. any vehicle used for a practical course assessment must meet the vehicle and loading requirements specified in the relevant ITO assessment schedules.
5. the assessor includes with the trainees course documentation a map clearly indicating the assessment route taken including confirmation of the location where the reversing manoeuvres were assessed (or alternatively reference to a standard route map that is available for viewing)
6. the practical driving assessment takes a minimum of 40 minutes and covers a minimum distance of 20 km. 

5.29  When completing the practical course requirements relating specifically to classes 2–5, the provider shall ensure that:

1. practical urban driving assessments for class 2–5 courses are only undertaken in the approved locations as specified on the NZ Transport Agency site.
   
   This will ensure that the trainee will have their practical urban driving skills assessed in an environment providing sufficient traffic situations and interaction with other road users to allow the assessor to gather evidence of the trainee's driving skills and make an appropriate judgement.
   
   In special circumstances where the provider wishes to conduct a practical driving assessment in a location that is not listed on the website (see above), the provider may apply for an exemption from the Transport Agency regional office responsible for their area. In such a case the practical assessment may not be conducted until a written exemption is obtained from the Transport Agency and retained with the trainee's course documentation. Any exemptions granted will be specific to a particular assessment only and will not be generic.
2. the assessor holds a current driving instructor endorsement for the class of vehicle in which the practical training or assessment is being conducted
3. agricultural tractors or any other special type vehicle (see definitions ) are not used for practical training or assessment for classes 2–5 courses.
4. any vehicle used for a practical course assessment must meet the vehicle and loading requirements specified in the relevant ITO assessment schedules.
5. the assessor includes with the trainees course documentation a map clearly indicating the assessment route taken including confirmation of the location where the reversing manoeuvres were assessed (or alternatively reference to a standard route map that is available for viewing)
6. the practical driving assessment takes a minimum of 40 minutes and covers a minimum distance of 20 km.

6.   Certificates and registers

6.1  The provider must operate and maintain in a current state, a register that records, for at least the preceding 12 months, the following information for each trainee irrespective of whether they have been successful or not:

• Name and address.
• Phone number.
• Driver licence number.
• Type of course.
• Course units.
• Result of each course unit assessment (achieved / not yet achieved).
• Date of the assessment for each course unit (if the provider is an organisation, include the name of the assessor conducting the assessment).
• Date the course sertificate was issued.
• Approved course certificate number issued.

6.2  If the provider is an organisation they must also operate and maintain a register of trainers/assessors conducting courses under their provider approval. This register will contain the following information:

• Name and address of trainer/assessor.
• ITO registration number(s) and renewal date(s).
• Driver licence number and expiry.
• Driving instructors endorsement (I) expiry date (applicable only if conducting courses for classes 2-5).
• List of the courses that the assessor has been approved to conduct.
• Copy of the certificate of authorisation issued by the Transport Agency authorising the assessor to conduct courses under the organisation’s approval.

6.3 Only Transport Agency course completion certificates may be issued to successful trainees. The certificates are individually numbered and must be accounted for. Any certificates spoiled and not issued must be retained for audit purposes and recorded in the register.

6.4 The provider shall only issue course completion certificates that have been allocated to them by the Transport Agency. Certificates must not be transferred from one provider to another. Should
the provider misplace, loose or have any certificates stolen, they must immediately report the loss to the Transport Agency.

6.5 Any course completion certificates issued must be completed in full by the provider. The name written on the certificate must be the same as it appears on the trainee’s driver licence. (Do not use abbreviations, nicknames or variations from that shown on the driver licence.)

6.6 Where a course certificate has been lost the provider who issued the original certificate will, upon request, supply to any trainee a replacement certificate (containing the same details as the original certificate) at a reasonable cost. Any replacement certificates issued must be recorded in the trainee course register.

< previous | next >

Page updated: 30 March 2015