Mrs Chand passed her full test on Monday and at the first attempt.
She signed up to the licensing support scheme in April 2018 and completed nine classes of driving theory.
The theory test was passed in July 2018 and a year later Mrs Chand achieved her restricted licence.
She said there had been nerves before Monday’s full test in Ashburton, but she had stayed calm and driven well.
"I was really, really happy to pass.
"It now means I have complete freedom to go where I like and drive who I like."
Mrs Chand lives and works on a dairy farm at Rakaia and has two school age children.
She was very grateful for the rural driving support scheme and in particular her driver mentor Mandy Burrows, who was her boss’s wife, and had been a reassuring presence from day one.
The licensing scheme has been running for two years and is aimed at rural adult newcomers who need to get a learner’s licence, or convert their international licence.
The fifth group of learners on the programme starts on March 17 and there are still a couple of places left, says Rural Driver Licensing Scheme co-ordinator Wendy Hewitt.
The focus of the programme was to reduce isolation for newcomers and migrants, to build social networks and to give people independence by gaining their driver’s licence.
"We have had some great successes and Shonal is a good example. We have more ladies sitting their licence tests this month," said Mrs Hewitt.
