Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says parking fines should be at least $100

By RNZ

Auckland’s mayor wants to lift the city’s parking fines to around $100, saying the current fines are far too low.

Wayne Brown also suggested people who use mobility parks without a permit deserved a punishment that could not be measured in dollars.

The current fines were set in the Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999 and can be as little as $12.

“They want us all to reduce car use, but it’s only a $12 parking fine in Auckland if you’re not paying,” Brown told RNZ Checkpoint on Friday.

“It’s the same as in Gore … but I don’t think Gore has quite the same pressure that Auckland does.”

He wanted Auckland Council to have the power to set the fines.

“Aucklanders are grown up enough, we’re a third of the country, we should not only set our parking charges - we should set our fines as well … We need to be able to make our own decisions. I stood on getting Wellington out of Auckland, and I intend to proceed along those lines.”

With the city struggling to pay its bills, councillors recently voted to sell part of the council’s share in Auckland Airport.

Brown said parking currently generated around $40 million to $50m a year.

“I’ve got councillors wanting us to increase revenue, but basically it’s cheaper to park and pay the fine. It makes no sense.”

He suggested fines should start around $100, comparable to what Australian states pinged overstaying parkers for.

Brown was also asked about fines for parking in a mobility park without a permit. The current fine was $150 and was last increased 15 years ago.

“I’ve got no sympathy for people who do things like that. If you’re going to park in somebody’s mobility [park] then you’re a bad person,” he told host Lisa Owen.

“If we asked the public, they’d feel really, we should make those people immobile. You’re a bad person if you’re gonna park in a park which is there for a person who has mobility issues.”