A student transport initiative that boosted attendance by 25 per cent has been hailed as a “real success” – but it needs more volunteer drivers to continue in 2026.
The service takes students from Motueka to Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) through a partnership between NMIT and the Nelson Tasman Community Transport Trust (NTCTT).
Tamanui Uerata, managing team leader at Motueka’s youth hub The Spot, identified the need for an alternative to the public bus service, which leaves Motueka about an hour and a half earlier than necessary for Foundation Skills classes.
“No one really wants to be getting up to be on a bus at 6.50am,” Tamanui says. “That was the common factor that kept coming up – it was just timing.”
Weekday NTCTT services had been made obsolete by the arrival of the e-bus, so last July the trust began transporting NMIT students to their work-readiness courses instead. The bus runs Monday to Thursday, picking up students from outside either the Motueka iSITE or The Spot on Old Wharf Rd at about 8.15am, arriving in time for their first class at 9.30am. It leaves Richmond at 2.15pm, returning students by 3.30pm.
The project has been a “big-time” success, with students building trusting relationships with drivers over time, Tamanui says. “It works so well.”
NMIT director demand management Kate Neame agrees, crediting the scheme with removing one of the biggest barriers to participation.
“The Motueka youth transport pilot has been a real success in removing one of the biggest barriers to participation for our Foundation Skills students – simply getting to campus,” she says.
“For rangatahi living up to an hour away in Motueka, the direct service has made attending NMIT realistic and manageable, which has directly supported improved attendance and engagement - we saw a 25 per cent increase in students from Motueka attending our Foundations programme in 2025, made possible with the support they’ve received by this transport initiative. We’re hugely grateful to the Nelson Tasman Community Transport Trust for their partnership.”
However, NTCTT coordinator Jude Tarr says the scheme needs more volunteer drivers to keep going in 2026. The ideal scenario is a pool of eight drivers, aged 25 and over, with a full New Zealand driver’s licence, who can give their time once a fortnight.
Volunteer driver Alex Cawood says the students are a “good bunch” and she enjoys getting to know them. “I get on great with them.”
Alex likes having a set day to drive because it means she can plan her time. After dropping students in Nelson, she heads to the aquatic centre for a hydro boost class, then uses the free time for social outings, appointments and shopping.
“As long as I do it between when I drop the kids off… piece of cake,” she says.
For more information or to volunteer, email jude@ntctt.org.nz.
