Auckland CBD residents and visitors will soon need to fork out for parking charges 24/7 including on weekends, overnight and public holidays.
The changes, which come into effect from July 1, will see Auckland Transport able to collect more money – but they're causing concern for local businesses.
Hospitality NZ Business Development and Innovation Manager Matt Padernal told AM on Monday there is real concern the changes will put people off from visiting central businesses.
"First and foremost, it's going to have an impact on our nighttime economy which is when people come put into the restaurants, the bars, the accommodation, the hustle and bustle – they drive their cars in, they're there for a long time. That's going to be the first impact, you're going to see a lot of people stay shorter and [businesses] are already struggling," Padernal told AM co-host Melissa Chan-Green.
"Secondly it's going to probably impact our workers and that's the big one that we are really concerned about.
"They're sometimes paid minimum wage, they already struggle to get in there [the CBD], public transport is not always sufficient so that's going to be an issue too because they're going to be having to fork out a lot more money for parking. So that could stop them from working in our industry which we don't want."
Padernal said Hospitality NZ was "a little bit blindsided" by the decision because AT didn't consult with them about the changes at all.
"We would like to know if they are going to raise [parking charges], what are they going to do with that? Is that going to be invested into the nighttime economy? Are we trying to bring more people back into the city? Is it to keep people safe? Is it to keep the environment safe? So, if they're going to increase the costs, what are they going to do with the costs?" He questioned.
Padernal said a lot of hospitality workers are forced to drive into the city for work because public transport often isn't running when they finish their shifts.
He said he supports public transport being the main option for getting into the city but only when the nighttime economy is rebuilt post-COVID and the public transport system is actually fit for purpose and reliable.
"I think we've got a long way to go with the inner city before we can hike costs," he added.
Padernal also called for AT to ensure they're consulting with relevant groups before making any changes in the future.
Padernal is not the only one who isn't keen on the idea, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told the Herald over the weekend AT didn't consult with him on the changes either. He said he's "sick of it" and the agency must come up with a proper parking strategy.
The changes mean from July 1 parkers will face hourly rates 24/7 including overnight. This is causing huge concerns for residents because currently, parking is free in much of the city on Sundays and outside of the hours of 8am to 6pm.
The new charges range from $2-$3 per hour depending on the location.
In response, Auckland Transport told Newshub it had spoken to various departments ahead of the planned implementation of the change to parking charges.
It said they had taken an "inform" approach by writing to the Waitemata Local board, Councillor Mike Lee on April 8, as well as Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick to advise of the changes.
Auckland Transport also said it had spoken with the Mayor's office about the proposed changes and how they would be "communicated" on May 1.
It also said it had spoken with business associations earlier in May and had, had follow-up discussions last week. It also said last week all city centre residents and businesses had been written to, informing them of the upcoming changes.
