Impaired Driving Rehabilitation (IDR) Programmes

Impaired Driving Rehabilitation (IDR) programmes are funded by Health NZ to work with recidivist drink or drug driving offenders to reduce reoffending and harmful alcohol and drug use. Established in 2014 the IDR programmes are delivered nationwide through ten local providers.

The IDR programmes mainly serve repeat impaired drivers with referrals from various sources including the Department of Corrections/Probation, courts/judges, self-referrals, and addiction treatment services.

In July 2023 Health NZ engaged Dovetail Consulting to conduct an evaluation of the IDR programmes, to capture the impacts and benefits of the programmes and identify areas for service development. The evaluation is whole-of-programme evaluation, spanning processes, outcomes and learning from the programmes delivered across New Zealand.

The IDR Programmes Evaluation (July 2023 to October 2024), which involved providers, programme participants, whānau, probation and police officers, identified key strengths in both the delivery and impact of the IDR programmes. With the report highlighting that 93% of programme participants surveyed said they had learned ways to reduce the likelihood of driving under the influence since taking part in the programme.

View the IDR Programmes Evaluation Report

Next steps

Using the evaluation findings as a basis, Health NZ will be working in partnership with the current IDR programme providers to identify development opportunities.