Whanganui District Council rethinking parking fees and time limits after pushback from businesses

Victoria Ave retailers Caitriona Davies and Ron Jamieson-Bell have presented their concerns to the council. Photo / Mike Tweed

Retailers in central Whanganui say parking fees and times are hurting business and are calling on the council to make changes.

Speaking at the Whanganui District Council’s operations and performance committee meeting this week, Whanganui Photo and Print owner Ron Jamieson-Bell said he had received feedback from about 40 businesses, which was “all very similar”.

“The cost of parking, the time limit and the high fines imposed are resulting in shoppers being concerned and stressed.

“Many are focused on parking, instead of being more relaxed, enjoying the shopping experience and spending.”

Last June, the council voted unanimously to increase the hourly rate for parking on the city’s main street, Victoria Ave, from $2 to $3 an hour through its parking bylaw, with central side streets ($1) and off-street parking (50 cents) rising to $2.

There were 601 submissions on the bylaw, with 54% in favour of an increased tariff on Victoria Ave, which has a 90-minute parking time limit.

Jamieson-Bell said the entire CBD should be one parking zone, with a two-hour time limit and the same fees.

Victoria Ave is zone one, and surrounding streets, such as Rutland St, St Hill St, Watt St and Guyton St, are in zone two.

Zone two has a two-hour parking limit.

Jamieson-Bell gave customers and businesses a questionnaire about parking issues, including what changes should be made.

Proposals included free 15-minute parking for pick-ups and drop-offs, reducing parking fees to $1 an hour, and free parking on Saturdays and Sundays.

Country Lanes Originals and FiftyFive owner Caitriona Davies told councillors she had researched the impacts of parking nationally, “and the same view is there”.

Jamieson-Bell’s store is at 143 Victoria Ave, with Davies’ at No 55.

“Parking fees are going up, and customers are feeling rushed and not spending so much in the CBDs,” she said.

Non-rates revenue is part of the council’s six-point plan to keep rates increases down.

A May 20 report from council chief executive David Langford said car parking had a target of $1.716 million for 2024-25, with $1.606m - 94% - collected so far.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said the new parking fees and system had been “bedded in” and the council was beginning to understand what the unintended consequences might be.

Parking fines are set by central Government, with changes being made last year.

The penalty for not paying in a pay-by-plate area is now $70, up from $40.

Councillor Rob Vinsen said the council should “defy” the Government’s regulations.

“I think it’s time a lot of local authorities in New Zealand stepped up over this.

“What Government is going to take a local council through a court, or fine it, for charging too much or too little?”

Councillor Michael Law says he regrets voting in favour of the council's parking bylaw. Photo / NZME

Davies said the visibility of parking meters should also be addressed because some customers, especially those from out of town, were not able to find them.

“One wish from me, as a business owner, would be some arrow signage [on the footpath] to show them which way to go.”

She told the Chronicle she and her staff were consistently showing customers where parking meters were.

Councillor Michael Law proposed a motion to instruct Langford to collect feedback and data on parking issues and present options to alleviate them.

Law said he had made a mistake by voting for the parking bylaw last year, and “this is my atonement”.

“There are lots of stakeholders and lots of concerns.

“How do we ensure we meet the balance of [the council’s] strategy, our rates, and maximise utilisation for our businesses and this council?”

Deputy Mayor Helen Craig said stakeholders such as Davies, Jamieson-Bell and Mainstreet Whanganui should also be included in that process, which was accepted.

Law’s motion was passed unanimously.

During hearings on the council’s 2025-26 Annual Plan last month, Mainstreet Whanganui general manager Charlie Meyerhoff proposed raising CBD parking time limits to three hours, with all-day parking for council-owned lots.

That would create “better flow and usage of the CBD”, she said.

Vinsen said every dollar collected for parking was one not collected from the general rate.

“Parking, it’s not ideal to be there as a money-making activity but, unfortunately, it’s a fact of life,” he said.

“We’ve got this pressure on us as councillors to keep rates down and affordable, and parking is part of that.”

Councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay said it was important to make decisions based on data as well as anecdotal evidence.

“I also want to make a plug for ParkMate. It is a really brilliant app.

“You get out of the car, you tap the screen a couple of times and you’ve paid for parking.

“It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s user-friendly.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.