Tauranga City Council to charge for boat trailer parking at ramps

It will cost $20 a day to park a boat trailer at Pilot Bay from July 1. Photo / SunLive

Boaties will soon have to pay to park their trailer near some boat ramps in Tauranga.

It will cost $20 a day to park a boat trailer near the Pilot Bay, Sulphur Pt and Whareroa Reserve boat ramps.

Tauranga residents, clubs and businesses will be able to purchase a $200 yearly pass for their trailer instead of paying the daily charge.

The charges will come into effect from July 1.

Tauranga City Council adopted bylaws that would enable the parking charges at a meeting on Monday.

Money raised from the parking charges would go towards maintaining the boat ramps. The annual cost of maintenance and depreciation of the ramps is $223,691 according to a council report.

Commission chair Anne Tolley said: “The really critical thing is we’re doing this so that we can improve the quality and the quantity of our boat ramps and raise the finance to do that.”

Council head of transport Nic Johansson said the fee was not a parking charge per se.

“It’s a boat ramp charging fee for which we are collecting money via the parking.

“In order to get willing compliance we think it’s really good if the boat ramp users understand that this actually goes towards the maintenance upkeep of the boat ramps.”

Commissioner Stephen Selwood said his concern was notifying current boat ramp users about the fees.

“Often when change occurs the biggest reaction is, ‘I didn’t know about this’, it comes as surprise.”

He asked if there were plans to put notices on windscreens or other communication so people could be prepared for the change.

Council parking strategy manager Reece Wilkinson said there would be a heavy educational aspect before the charges were rolled out.

There were plans to put flyers on windscreens, the council was working with local clubs including fishing clubs and was also developing a communications strategy, he said.

There would also be a grace period where people were issued warnings instead of fines for not paying for parking to ensure everyone was informed, said Wilkinson.

The fee for not paying for parking would be $60, he said.

The council consulted on the fees as part of the 2024-34 Long-term Plan.

There were 238 submissions about the boat trailer fees, of which 47 per cent were opposed to the fee and 48 per cent supported it, the rest were neutral.

Reasons from those opposed included that the fees would discourage people from getting out on the water, the ramps were paid for through rates already and other facilities like skateparks and cycleways weren’t charged.

People in support of the charges said the boat ramps were used by non-ratepayers who should pay their share, and residents who do not use boat ramps should not have to pay for them. Others supported the fee but said they expected a higher level of service.

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