The future of car parking in Whangārei District
Published on 24 February 2025
Whangarei District Council has been grappling with the number and placement of carparks for years. Each time Council removes parking spaces to allow for increased traffic flow, we must balance this with maintaining accessibility for residents and local business owners.
For inner-city business and property owners, the balancing act is hard too, especially when there are shopping areas just outside the city centre where parking is available and free. It’s important to keep in mind that these areas are privately owned, and the owners provide this service for their customers, even while paying commercial rates for the land.
More than 45 years ago, there was on-street parking along Walton Street, where my father had his shop, Continental Motorcycles (now Piggery Secondhand Book Shop). While many won’t remember my father or his shop, those who do will recall his ability to fix any motorcycle problem presented to him.
Originally, there was car parking down both sides of Walton Street, offering car parking right outside his shop door. Then, as traffic increased, car parking would slowly be removed. I know my father always had an issue with this, and if he was still alive today, I’m sure I would be hearing him talk about it regularly.
As stated earlier, it is all about balancing the demand for parking with the need to manage traffic flow effectively. We are always hearing from business owners that their customers need the parking to be closer to the shops, yet with traffic increasing we need to be mindful of how and where Council places carparks.
Over the years, Council has encouraged various modes of transport to get in and around the city, and while currently the humble car is still the preferred choice for many, our Council is working hard to offer alternative options.
In Whangārei’s Long Term Plan for 2024-34, we have allocated $11.4 million for the construction of a new parking building from years 2027 to 2030. Additionally, we have committed to developing a Park and Ride service over the next 20 years, and in the immediate term we are looking at developing better traffic flows, flow paths, and parking arrangements, all to be evaluated within the upcoming parking strategy.
See our Long Term Plan, which includes the future growth and development planning for our District:
Long Term Plan 2024-34
Our Council has great plans that will pay off in time – and let’s not forget that we’re still the only district in New Zealand that offers free parking for over-70s! We cannot manage these developments by ourselves – we need other parties, and partnering with the right developers to offset costs will ensure viability.
In my father’s day, it was logical to have car parking right outside his shop. Many of us still love having that ability to stop and shop – it’s something we all miss. The reality is that we’re not a small town anymore, we’re a city in a fast-growing District and region, and we need to be future focused, thinking strategically and putting things in place for the long term.
