Criterion HS114
If children travel in a motor vehicle while in the care of the service:
each child is restrained as required by Land Transport legislation
required adult-to-child ratios are maintained; and
the written permission of a parent of the child is obtained before the travel begins (unless the child is travelling with their parent).
Documentation required
Evidence of parental permission for any travel by motor vehicle. In most cases, this requirement will be met by the excursion records required for criterion HS113. However, services that provide transport for children to and/from the service must also gain written permission from a parent upon enrolment.
Guidance
How to show you are complying
If you’re using a vehicle to transport children, adults need to know how to safely restrain them, in line with relevant land transport legislation.
Before travelling with children in a private motor vehicle, adults must check that:
every child is properly restrained
there are enough adults to safely supervise children, keeping in mind adult-to-child ratios
parents have provided written permission for children to travel in a motor vehicle.
You can collect parents’ written permission at the time of enrolment or through an excursion form if the parent is not accompanying the child. If you are considering transporting children to and from the service, the accountability for regular transport (outside enrolled and licensed hours) is to be agreed between parents and the service concerned.
There are different requirements for taxis, shuttles and buses
In most circumstances, you do not have to use child restraints if you travel in taxis, shuttles, and buses. The exception is if a taxi company provides appropriate child restraints.
If you are travelling by bus, and seatbelts are not provided, children must remain seated throughout the journey.
When assessing whether you comply with HS114
Questions we are likely to ask
Do you transport children to and from the service?
How do you make sure there are enough adults to safely supervised children during travel?
We are likely to request
Evidence of parental permission for travel by motor vehicle (if not covered under criterion HS113 excursions).
The tools below are here to support you. You do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.
Before starting the journey, you might find it useful to check the following:
Travel by motor vehicle checklist [DOCX, 60KB]
More information is available on the New Zealand Transport Agency website.
Child restraints factsheet – NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi
Requirements for using child restraints – NZ Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi
Early learning services that provide transport for children have some additional guidance.
Making sure children are safely restrained while travelling is essential to keep them safe and protected from serious injury in the event of an accident.
Doing more than the minimum can shape better outcomes for children. Here are some ideas or examples you might like to consider.
If you are using private motor vehicles, you should check that the drivers of the vehicles hold a current full New Zealand driver’s licence, and the vehicle is registered and has a valid Warrant of Fitness.
You could have a policy or procedure in place to guide you on how to keep children safe while travelling.
This could focus on health and safety, such as:
who the adults are and whether they have been police vetted, safety checked and hold a first aid qualification
appropriate adult-to-child ratios
supervision arrangements
alternative arrangements if parents are not at home when children are to be dropped off
sign-in procedures
parental permission upon enrolment
how you will make sure no child is left behind.
For child protection purposes, ideally you would have at least two adults in every vehicle.