Wellington City Council has finally revealed how much it spent on installing a new pay-by-plate parking system, after the Ombudsman launched an investigation.
The council switched to the new paperless system at the start of 2024 with new meters also offering the choice of English or Te reo Māori instructions.
The Herald asked Wellington City Council at the time for the cost of the new meters under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.
The council refused to release the information, citing commercial sensitivity.
The Herald complained to the Ombudsman arguing the use of ratepayer funds for the new system is in the public interest and should be disclosed.
In 2016, the last time the council upgraded its parking system by installing sensors, the $1.6 million cost was published in council documents and widely reported by media.
In May, the Ombudsman confirmed he had launched an investigation and had written to the council’s chief executive to ask for “the relevant information and the reasons for the decision”.
The council’s official information team contacted the Herald this week, responding again to the initial request.
“The Council has had the opportunity to revisit this request and, after further consultation with the supplier, we are in the position to partly grant your request and provide you with some of the information you have requested.”
It released the total cost of implementing the pay-by-plate system in 2023, which went live in 2024, costing $3,545,830 excluding GST.
That means the approximately 400 machines cost around $8,863 each.
The price includes “associated implementation expenses, as well as the purchase and installation of new parking meters”, the council said.
“These new meters were necessary as some of the existing meters dated back to 2004. While many of these older meters had been retrofitted in 2016 to support the pay-by-space system, by 2023 they were approaching the end of their usable lifespan and required full replacement to support the transition to the pay-by-plate system, which contributed to the increased implementation costs.”
The Herald had also requested the annual maintenance cost of the pay-by-plate system, but the council again refused this “as the release of this isolated costing would likely prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied the information”.
In August last year more than 80 of the new parking meters had their solar panels smashed by an alleged vandal.
The council said at the time the machines were still working. It did not know the cost of the damage but said it would be the subject of an insurance claim.
When the new meters were installed, former Wellington City Councillor Simon Marsh was left less than impressed, concerned about the council’s accountability for its spending.
According to the council, the sensors installed in 2016 only have a five-year life span, but Marsh said that was not his understanding when the council of the day agreed to it.
“Why would you put something in that’s only going to last for five years and spend a couple of million on it?” Marsh said at the time.
There are about 400 new pay-by-plate machines in central Wellington, Kelburn and by the Botanic Gardens. Of these, 260 are card-only and 140 are both cash and card machines.
Parking fees in the city apply from 8am to 8pm and cost $5 per hour Monday to Friday and $3 per hour on the weekend.
Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.