Parking at Aoraki/Mount Cook and two other tourist destinations will cost $5 an hour from December. Photo / Supplied
By Nik Dirga of RNZ
Explainer – Rolling up to some of New Zealand’s most popular tourist attractions will soon become a little more expensive, as parking fees begin at some of Aotearoa’s hotspots in December.
A trial is taking place at three popular Department of Conservation (DoC) sites but if it’s successful, it could expand further.
Here’s what you’ll pay and where it will take effect.
Parking fees are set to begin at Aoraki/Mt Cook, Punakaiki/Pancake Rocks and Franz Josef/Wairau in December.
It’s a pilot programme expected to last until June 2026.
“We expect a final date to be announced at the end of the month [November] following the install and testing on paid parking equipment,” Department of Conservation director of heritage and visitors Catherine Wilson said.
Parking will be $5 per hour.
The first 20 minutes will be free to allow for drop-offs and pick-ups or people staying for a brief time.
For Aoraki/Mt Cook there will be a daily rate of $25 per day, while at Franz Josef and Punakaiki there will be a daily rate of $20.
Commercial tourism operators who hold a valid concession will be granted a parking fee exemption during the pilot.
Yes, but local district residents can get a lower-cost annual pass.
There will be annual passes for locals – $10 a year per vehicle – that allow for unlimited access. For Franz Josef and Punakaiki, residents from the Buller, Grey and Westland districts will be eligible, while for Aoraki/Mt Cook it’s those living within the Mackenzie District.
Regular visitors to the regions who aren’t residents of those districts can also get an annual pass for $60 a year.
Wilson said free parking for locals was one of the options considered, but, “in the end, the cost of the local permit is set low to acknowledge the special relationship residents have with their whenua”.
The parking strategy was adopted after considering information from stakeholders, public submissions, market research and evaluating more than 40 carparks around the world, including 16 in New Zealand.
“The market research helped us understand typical rates and fee structures for paid parking at similar sites, and one finding was that the average hourly charge for car parking internationally is $6.40 per hour,” DoC said in its analysis.
The group Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) consulted on the proposal.
“TIA supports user charges where they directly contribute to maintaining and improving infrastructure, but only when they are fair and enhance the visitor experience,” chief executive Rebecca Ingram said.
Ingram said the TIA would “welcome the introduction of low-cost annual passes for New Zealand residents, which ensures Kiwis can continue to access public conservation spaces affordably”.
While the fees may surprise some, they aren’t the first parking fees for popular attractions. Milford Sound has charged $10 an hour since 2019 for some of its parking lots operated by Milford Sound Tourism.
There won’t be any towing or wheel clamps used, according to DoC’s engagement report.
Cameras will record the entry and exit of vehicles and their registration information.
Parking fees will be enforced by outside company Stellar Projects, which is installing the paid parking hardware.
But considering many tourists will be from overseas, how exactly will breach notices be enforced?
Wilson said DoC plans to make the parking process easy and understandable.
“The primary goal is to make parking payment as simple and accessible as possible for visitors, which will minimise the need for issuing breach notices. Measures in place include offering multiple payment options where feasible, providing clear and obvious signage, and using universal, icon-based messaging with large touch screens on the parking machines.”
If tourists are using a rental car and get a breach notice, Stellar can follow up with the rental company, she said.
“In terms of rental cars, standard car rental agreements typically enable the rental business to directly charge a driver’s credit card for parking, toll roads, petrol top-up and other miscellaneous items.
“Additionally, Stellar does have relationships and agreed methodology with some rental providers to collect breach fees.”
DoC has said the pilot programme will cost an estimated $3.8 million, funded from the International Tourism Levy.
But it also said the expected revenue over the pilot period from December to June 2026 would be about $1.5 million.
Wilson said there is some cost outlay involved in starting up the plan.
“There are several one-off costs: some investment is going into the carparks themselves and some investment has gone into developing processes and installing the hardware required. These are all initial, one-off costs that won’t be ongoing.”
She said if paid parking continues after the trial run, the plan would quickly pay for its start-up costs.
“Just under half of the $3.8m sum is expected to be collected during the seven-month pilot. If the recommendation from the pilot is to continue with paid parking in certain sites, we expect the initial outlay to be easily made back in another year.”
Although some have called for the funds to be used exclusively for the areas covered by the parking fees, they’ll be used throughout the wider conservation network.
“Biodiversity and visitor network projects exist throughout the country, and DOC will use this revenue where it is most needed,” DOC said in its feedback report.
Yes. As part of the Government’s cost-cutting directive, DoC was asked to find savings of 6.5% – $31.3m per year.
The agency has also reported a shortfall in funding to maintain its tracks and huts throughout the visitors’ network.
There have also been dozens of job cuts at the agency.
At the same time, the Government has pledged to boost events and tourism with an investment of about $70m.
The Government also plans to unleash growth on conservation land, including opening up more concessions.
DoC heard from more than 150 submitters during a public engagement process, with the biggest concerns being that locals, volunteers and school groups shouldn’t have to pay for parking, and the area eligible for local permits should be expanded to the entire West Coast.
At the moment, the area eligible for permits will be restricted to the local districts.
At Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks, cafe owner Grant Parrett has protested the parking charges will penalise locals and are essentially an unlawful fee to enter a national park.
“I suppose $5 an hour is not very much, but any paid parking is still enough to put the casual visitors off stopping and that will hurt local businesses.
“New Zealanders don’t like paying for parking,” Parrett said.
However, locals will be allowed to park free of charge for 20 minutes.
“I think the majority of the [public] submissions would have come from Punakaiki,” Wilson said.
“We understand that people might feel aggrieved – no one likes paying for parking – but we’re trying to work out how to run DoC facilities that are costing us increasingly more.”
Tourism operators say the parking costs should not be a major barrier.
“While operators are mindful of cumulative visitor costs, based on comparable international-visitor park-fee proposals, eg, US$25 [$44.50]/day, we believe the proposed charge is unlikely to be a major barrier to most international tourists,” the tourism group TIA’s Ingram said.
“The pilot is an opportunity to test how this goes, and we look forward to working with DoC on the insights it provides and any future changes.”
Yes, but that’s likely a year or two in the future.
The Government has announced it is planning to introduce new foreign visitor charges at Milford Sound, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mautohe Cathedral Cove and Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Foreign visitor fees are already common in many countries.
“I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free,” Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said, calling it “only fair” that foreign visitors make an additional payment.
The earliest visitor fees would be introduced is summer 2027, a spokesperson for Potaka’s office has previously told RNZ.
In the announcement, a fee figure of between $20 and $40 was given.
“Access charging for international visitors is approximately two years away as legislation is yet to be drafted,” Wilson said.
Parking and access fees could be combined eventually, she said.
“There will be further engagement with stakeholders on access charging during that time, including the combination of international visitor entry fees and charging for car parks in certain sites.”
Parking fees and foreign visitor fees aren’t the only charges going up for tourists.
The International Tourism Levy the Government charges to most overseas tourists was raised last year from $35 to $100.
The TIA spoke out against that rise at the time, warning it could “create a significant barrier” and lead to fewer tourist arrivals.
Once the trial is completed in July, DoC will make a decision as to whether or not to continue and expand paid parking to other sites.
“This is standard practice at many national parks overseas,” Wilson has said about parking fees.
“Most international visitors accept this as a necessary contribution to support the amazing nature they come to New Zealand to enjoy.”
– RNZ