What Tauranga & Rotorua councils earn from parking

Tauranga and Rotorua's parking network may change next year. Photo: LDR / Laura Smith

Tauranga City Council and Rotorua Lakes Council each have thousands of car parks. Some are free, some are paid, and others are free but time-limited.

Both cities have seen changes to the parking services on offer - and more look to be on the way.

In Rotorua, fees doubled to become $2 an hour from the current financial year and elected members began considering whether to increase the number of paid or time-limited parks in the coming year.

The fee rise was coupled with an increase of 200 paid parks, expected to bring the council an extra $930,000.

Elected members began looking at whether it should introduce time limits to free parking spots in three locations - Kuirau Park, Government Gardens and the lakefront.

It would also look at promoting the under-used inner-city parking building on Pukuatua Street.

When discussing the possibility, Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell says the council needed to be careful of "unintended consequences" and spend time engaging with those who used the parks.

She says there would need to be a balance between city workers and people wanting to park to use the reserves.

Parking has been a source of some contention in Tauranga, as the council looked to increase paid parking in the city.

Plans were put on hold, however, following community concern. The paid parking extension was to be from Third Ave up to Arundel Street, and from McLean Street up to Monmouth Street and was set initially set for February 26.

Despite this, about 22 signs were mistakenly erected in January, at a cost of $4600.

Businesses voiced frustration at 147 parks being closed at the end of October for green space on the waterfront. A sign at the carpark advised there were 100 parks at the recently opened Dive Crescent carpark.

The council is looking at imposing paid parking at Mount Maunganui from this year in the retail area of Maunganui Road and along the beachfront as part of a new parking management plan aiming to free up spaces and dissuade motorists from using a space for a long time.

Commissioners also approved in October an extra $1.06 million for unforeseen design complexities on its seismic strengthening project at the Spring Street parking building. This took the total project cost to $6.86m.

The commission will be reviewing the parking strategy in March.

Parking spots can be paid, free, or free but time-limited. Photo: LDR / Laura Smith

What's in the numbers - Tauranga City Council's parking network

Tauranga's council collected $4,765,644, while costs sat at $6,164,035.

It owns three parking buildings. There are 2096 paid car-parking spaces in the city centre.

Democracy services team leader Kath Norris could not confirm the total number of free time-limited car-parking bays across the city because she said many were not formally line-marked.

Of the collected $4,765,644, on-street parking totalled $907,586.

March 2023 saw the biggest amount collected in total at $549,085.

As of October, 891 stationary vehicle offence infringement notices remained unpaid from the previous financial year.

Parking repairs and maintenance cost $10,099. There were 44 reported faults and a total downtime of 2.69 hours.

The council leases and uses a total of 133 carparks at an annual cost of $362,227. Fleet vehicles are exempt from paid parking while on council business.

What's in the numbers - Rotorua Lakes Council's parking network

For the last financial year, Rotorua council's income from parking totalled $2,069,212. Parking services cost it $2,452,263.

The council manages 1379 paid parks, 684 free but time-limited parks, and 1300 free unlimited. It has one parking building.

February 2023 was the biggest earning month with $200,597 collected.

The council collects fees via parking machines, permits and the PrestoPark parking app. It contracts i-Park to manage the parking services.

There were 141 faults reported during that time. There are 69 machines.

However, there was no cost to the council for breakdowns or repairs because i-Park carried the cost.

Corporate planning and governance executive director Oonagh Hopkins said the system was constructed in a way that meant there were alternative methods of payment offered and all parkers were required to pay for their parking.

Council vehicles are exempt from parking fines when parked near the council building while working.

Elected members' cars are exempt from parking fines near the council building when attending to council business.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

8 comments

Another example

Posted on 05-02-2024 08:52 | By Astoreth

of what is rotten with council; they make rules, then exempt themselves from them.
{Elected members' cars are exempt from parking fines near the council building when attending to council business.}


User pays equals less rates good call

Posted on 05-02-2024 09:08 | By True Fizz

Be good to understand cost of maintaining parks minus the metering but generally charging users to offset rates is pretty sensible.


Can't count the free in Tauranga

Posted on 05-02-2024 09:50 | By an_alias

That is priceless, but hey we need more tax money says the un-elected fab 4....we got more stuff to force you to pay for.....oh and your kids, kids will be signed up for the tax as well.....heck why not, were leaving with heaps of cash to go back to our resort lives.
Are you saying from the totals TCC earns $4.7M but it costs them $6.1 to earn that ?
If so that is complete madness !


The Master

Posted on 05-02-2024 12:32 | By Ian Stevenson

So Tauranga has more car park buildings and so has more revenue, but as is 100% typical makes a massive loss... more buildings by TCC = more losses.

The massive losses and costs related to the failed Harrington Street build mess created and planned by TCC are obviously not included? That was $20m and some.


The Master

Posted on 05-02-2024 12:35 | By Ian Stevenson

@ True Fizz

Free parking to Councilors, no fines, sounds like there are two laws/rules applying here? I am sure that they would have voted themselves that?

Meanwhile in CBD TGA, TCC setup and approved exclusive parking for themselves, it had a $50k remote controlled retracting bollards, so they did not even have to get out of the TCC cars... again two sets of rules...


Costs

Posted on 05-02-2024 17:23 | By Fernhill22

The reason why people park in the free parking spaces in the streets around the CBD is because they can't afford to park in the council car parks. Hasn't TCC heard that there is a cost-of-living crisis hitting families in the pocket who can't afford these extra costs as they are already struggling with the daily increases in in food, petrol, mortgage repayments. It seems that there is one rule for TCC commissioners who actually have the money to pay for paid parking and then there is one rule for the rest of us. Not only have TCC & NZTA created more congestion in the CBD with what they have done to Cameron Road, but they have created a Ghost Town that no one wants to go to as it's too hard to get there & no parking available when you finally arrive.


ABOUT SAYS IT ALL!!!!

Posted on 07-02-2024 21:52 | By The Caveman

Tauranga's council collected $4,765,644, while costs sat at $6,164,035.

I ALWAYS believed that the PARKING charges were about making money for a local council !!!

BUT it seems NOT in Tauranga !!


Well true fizz

Posted on 09-02-2024 16:33 | By Kancho

I think if you read it all it Tauranga council doesn't make any money to off set rates . Seems the costs are greater than the revenue. No way to run anything. In the real world they would go bankrupt and out of work


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