As 2025 comes to an end, we’re celebrating 40 years of youth-led change, advocacy, and safer roads. From our beginnings in 1985, SADD has grown into a national movement empowering rangatahi to lead, act, and shift the culture of road safety across Aotearoa.

We began because young people wanted to stop the loss on our roads and have a voice in their own road safety future. What started as a small idea in a single school has become a nationwide force for youth empowerment and community action and we couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come.

Our Journey

SADD was first founded in 1981 in Massachusetts, USA, as Students Against Driving Drunk. Four years later, in 1985, an American exchange student introduced the idea to Mahurangi College in Warkworth. On 11 October that year, SADD officially launched through the Rotary-sponsored Interact Club, and with it, youth-led road safety was born in Aotearoa.

By 1987, Wanganui Girls’ College had joined the cause, and SADD was adapted for the New Zealand context, becoming a national organisation. Resources were sent to every secondary school in the country, and throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, SADD established a strong presence in schools nationwide.

Thousands of students took part in regional workshops and national conferences, with support from the AA, NZTA/Waka Kotahi, NZ Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), local councils, and community trusts. These partners have stood beside us ever since, helping us grow and evolve.

Evolving to Stay Relevant

As the world around young people changed, so did we.

In 2012, we launched our National Leadership Programme - a hands-on development experience that has now supported nearly 200 young leaders. Each year, it evolves to meet the needs of today’s youth, building leadership, communication, and teamwork skills that reach far beyond road safety. Many of our alumni have gone on to become community leaders, educators, researchers, and policy advocates - living proof of how youth leadership creates ripple effects for good.

In 2014, we changed our name to Students Against Dangerous Driving to reflect a broader focus. We recognised that risky driving involves much more than alcohol - it includes speeding, distraction, fatigue, restraints, risk taking, as well as the ‘learn to drive’ experience itself.

By 2019, we expanded our focus even further to include all young road users: drivers, passengers, cyclists, pedestrians, and public transport users - because every journey matters, and every role on the road comes with responsibility.

In 2022, we proudly adopted our dual name, Kaitiaki o Ara - meaning guardians of our roads/journeys - to reflect Te Ao Māori values of care, connection, and collective responsibility.

The following year, in 2023, we reimagined our framework, shifting from the six SADD Principles to the Four Programme Aspirations: Safe Road Users, Sharing Our Roads, Safe Vehicles, and the Driver Licence Journey. We also refreshed our brand, launching new posters, stickers, and digital tools that reflect the energy and creativity of our youth leaders.

Extending Our Reach

In 2023, we launched our Community Road Safety Programme (CRSP) to reach young people who are less likely to engage with SADD in mainstream school settings - including those in alternative education or involved with the justice system.

Through tailored workshops and collaboration with NZ Police, youth justice, and community organisations, the programme helps at-risk youth understand how their decisions impact themselves and others. The focus is on developing practical skills, building self-awareness, and empowering them to make safer choices. Early outcomes show increased knowledge, motivation to follow road rules, and a stronger sense of personal responsibility.

This expansion means that for the first time, SADD now operates both as a school-based programme and a community-focused movement - extending our reach and deepening our impact.

Listening, Learning, and Adapting

This year we ran a nationwide engagement survey to better understand how young people engage with causes, what influences them, and how we can best support them. The insights we gained are already shaping how we design our programmes, resources, and campaigns.

We know that youth-led road safety is not just important - it’s essential. When young people lead, other young people listen. Peer-to-peer influence creates lasting culture change, not just awareness. That’s why we’ll always prioritise youth voice in everything we do.

Our Work Today

Today, we work with more than 250 schools across Aotearoa, making SADD the only student-led road safety education organisation of its kind in Australasia.

Our programmes span from classroom learning to community collaboration and leadership development. Every activity is designed to empower students to take the lead - from planning school-wide activities and campaigns, to running road safety events, creating engaging social media content, or leading discussions about safe choices and the driver licence journey.

We continue to develop new educational resources, including new initiatives coming in 2026:

SADD Unite Programme – giving students the opportunity to design their own road safety initiative while earning NCEA credits, linking learning to real-world impact.
Crash Survivor Resources, such as Bridie Young’s story, which helps students explore the real consequences of unsafe driving and the courage it takes to speak up.
Brain Development Resources – in partnership with neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis, helping young people understand how their developing brains affect risk, decision-making, and driving behaviour.

Why SADD Matters

Even though progress has been made, road trauma remains one of the leading causes of death and serious injury for 15–24-year-olds in New Zealand. Every day, roughly one person dies and seven are seriously injured on our roads. These aren’t just statistics, they’re lives forever changed.

That’s why the work we do matters. Our young people face evolving risks - distraction, technology, fatigue, impairment, and inexperience - and we believe the best solutions come from empowering them to be part of the answer.

SADD is more than a road safety programme. It’s a leadership incubator. It helps young people find their voice, build confidence, and lead change in their schools and communities. The skills they learn - teamwork, problem-solving, campaign design, communication, and citizenship - shape who they become as future leaders.

As our General Manager, Donna Govorko, says:

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate 40 years in Aotearoa and everything our young leaders have achieved across generations. When it comes to young people on the road, there are risks that will never completely go away. That’s why the work we do is so important in helping to reduce the chances of a crash, injury or worse.”

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate 40 years of SADD, we’re as committed as ever to evolving with young people, listening to their ideas, and championing their leadership.

We’re proud to have the ongoing support of our partners — the AA, NZTA/Waka Kotahi, NZ Police, FENZ, local councils, and road safety advocates throughout Aotearoa. Together, we’ve built a movement that stands the test of time because it’s powered by youth voice, collaboration, and hope.

Our mission remains simple and powerful: to empower young Kiwis to prevent loss on our roads, together.

Here’s to the next 40 years of Kaitiaki o Ara / SADD - to the students who lead with courage, the communities who support them, and the shared belief that every journey should be a safe one.