If you live in Dargaville or the wider Kaipara district and have been disqualified from driving or suspended for demerit points, a limited licence may be your best option for maintaining your livelihood.
Why Dargaville is different
The Kaipara district is one of the most vehicle-dependent areas in New Zealand. With no public transport, no taxi service, and distances of 20–60 km between towns, the court is well aware that losing a licence here has severe practical consequences.
Hardship arguments in Kaipara
Limited licence applications require evidence of hardship — that you need to drive and have no reasonable alternative. In Dargaville and surrounding areas, this is often straightforward: there simply is no alternative to driving. If you live on a farm outside town, or your work takes you to rural properties across the district, the transport reality speaks for itself.
Common hardship scenarios we see from Kaipara clients include dairy farmers who must get to the milking shed twice daily, fencing and drainage contractors who travel between properties, and parents who need to transport children to schools that have no bus route.
Filing at Dargaville District Court
Limited licence applications can be filed directly at Dargaville District Court. The court is relatively small, and wait times for hearings are often shorter than in larger centres. Applications are heard by a judge in chambers.
Our service
We prepare complete limited licence applications for $749 + GST. All documents are drafted by a qualified lawyer and formatted for filing at Dargaville District Court. For clients in the Kaipara district, the combination of rural isolation and lack of public transport typically creates a strong foundation for a hardship argument.