Nearly half of Rotorua parking fines linked to new licence plate requirement

Fri, 23rd Oct 2026 (Today)

Nearly 44% of parking infringement notices issued since Rotorua's parking overhaul were for motorists failing to register their licence plates on time, council figures show.

The requirement is one of several aspects of the new system expected to come under scrutiny next week, when councillors consider a motion seeking free inner-city parking "without the registration of a licence plate".

The parking overhaul took effect in July, introducing new pricing zones, licence plate registration and revised parking charges across the city centre.

The changes followed council's decision to bring parking operations in-house and overhaul a system staff said was no longer meeting the city's needs.

Earlier this month two inner-city retailers expressed their concerns during a council public forum.

Tutanekai St shop owner Paul Hull told councillors the "town is dying", while Hinemoa St businessman Rahul Sethi questioned the consultation process behind reforms he said had left people "confused and worried".

Sethi's petition of about 200 signatories opposing the changes was tabled in his absence at Wednesday's council meeting, where elected members received a snapshot of the system's first three-and-a-half months.

Of the more than 5700 infringement notices issued, about 2500 were for motorists who failed to register their parking session on time. That made it by far the most common offence under the new system, although staff were keen to stress these figures were for the wider Rotorua network, not just the inner city.

More than 450 infringement notices were withdrawn or voided during this time period.

The issue will feature in next week's council meeting, where councillor Fisher Wang will seek support for a notice of motion calling for free 60-minute inner-city parking "without the registration of a licence plate".

The motion also seeks an independent review of the parking changes and their impact on inner-city businesses, along with further public consultation on parking fees and zoning.

Councillor Te Rika Temara Benfell, who is seconding the motion, said parking had become one of the most common issues raised with him by residents.

"I think every single interaction I've had over the last couple of months is, ' What are you doing about the parking?'"

Staff reported almost 200,000 paid parking transactions and more than 60,000 free one-hour parking sessions since July.

More than 4700 permits were issued during the period, while usage was split relatively evenly between the two parking zones.

Staff also reported increased use of the Pukuatua St parking building, where occupancy had risen from about 30% to 70% since the changes were introduced.

They also presented strong figures on reliability, with a 99.9% uptime rate for the new machines.

Principal adviser for community safety and regulatory services Kurt Williams said a primary goal of the parking changes had been to improve the financial sustainability of the service.

"We were subsidising our parking service to the tune of $1 million," he said.

Williams said separating the impact of parking changes from wider economic conditions remained difficult.

"What is the impact of a parking change versus what's happening in our economy? That is a really difficult piece to unravel."

Chief executive Andrew Moraes urged caution about drawing conclusions from the snapshot of data.

"Three months is actually a very short time to try and assess the validity of a change," he said.

No decisions were made at Wednesday's meeting, although councillors discussed ways to improve public understanding of the system and continue monitoring feedback alongside usage data.

Wang's notice of motion will be considered when council meets next Wednesday.

Sethi did not present his petition this week due to an urgent matter. He is expected to address the council at a later date.

Rotorua parking infringements since July 1