A spate of road crashes involving young people has renewed a push for an increase in the age drivers can get a licence.
Both the National Party and United Future agree 15 is too young and National claims there is widespread support for making young people wait until they are 16 before they get behind the wheel.
The Prime Minister has dismissed the idea but is promoting zero tolerance on alcohol for young drivers.
The renewed debate follows two accidents last weekend involving 15-year-old drivers in which four people died.
National's transport spokesman Maurice Williamson says New Zealand is out of kilter with many other countries. He says in Australia, Great Britain and most of Europe, teenagers have to be at least 17 to drive.
Williamson says more sensible heads prevail among older teenagers.
United Future leader Peter Dunne says New Zealand has higher ages for voting and drinking and it "seems a little perverse that one of the most dangerous things people can be involved in actually has the lowest age limit".
Helen Clark says the rural community wants to keep the driving age at 15. And the Prime Minister told TVNZ's Agenda programme that a lot of parents of teenagers are not happy about their children sitting around bus stops or train stops in the inner city waiting for transport at night.
The government is unlikely to support raising the driving age but is considering a zero alcohol limit for new licence holders.
Gerard Vaughan from the Alcohol Advisory Council says people find it difficult to work out how much is a little bit. "We think, particularly with the harms around drink driving for young people, zero tolerance is a very simple and clear message."
Transport officials are also expected to recommend making the restricted licence test harder and the learners phase longer.
