Parking Services

Waitakere City has a team of Parking Enforcement Officers who are responsible for enforcing both Council bylaws and national laws covering parking and some aspects of road safety ( such as bald tyres, expired Warrants of Fitness) etc.

Introduction

At present, there are Parking Enforcement Officers on duty six days per week as well as on one Sunday a month.

The Police have the same enforcement powers as a Parking Enforcement Officers (except that they can not ticket vehicles parked on grass verges) and can act on alleged parking or safety offences in the absence of a Parking Enforcement Officer.

Corporate Intent

The primary roles of the Parking Enforcement Officer are Road Safety and Equitable turnover of parking spaces.

1. Road Safety

There are times - or places - when parking a vehicle can endanger others. This is a safety issue and when vehicles are parked unsafely they will receive a ticket as prescribed by the road transport laws. Contrary to popular opinion they are not issued on a whim. 

'No parking' areas include:

• broken yellow lines
• across vehicle entrances
• bus stops and taxi stands
• over or within 50 centimetres (500mm) of a fire hydrant 
• goods service vehicle loading zones 
• footpaths
• grass verges
• Mobility Permit parking spaces for people with disabilities
• areas where parking is not allowed by way of sign or road marking 
• double parking or failing to park as close as practicable to the left 
• parking on a flush median

Other road safety offences include:

• Inconsiderate parking
• Operating an unlicensed motor vehicle
• Operating a motor vehicle while failing to display a current licence label
• Failing to display a current warrant or certificate of fitness
• Obscured or missing registration plates
• Bald or damaged tyres
• No red light to the rear on a goods service vehicle during darkness
• Parked facing the wrong way
• Operates a motor vehicle that fails to display a current evidence of inspection certificate
• Operates a vehicle that fails to display a current licence label.

2. Equitable turnover of parking spaces

The City's transport policy encourages the use of public transport and either walking to transport stops or using park and ride facilities. It is also policy to discourage all day parking in town centres in the City and thereby ensure that shoppers, visitors and short term parkers can easily find convenient parking.

To assist this process the Council limits the length of time permitted in many car parking areas and enforces the limits. Longer term car parks are also provided.

If you breach either road safety or parking entitlements, you will be issued with an infringement notices (ticket). A full list of safety and parking matters for which tickets will be issued is given later.

Infringement notice process 

The infringement notice process is set out in various statutes (Transport Act 1962 and the Summary Proceedings Act 1957). These details the way in which infringement notices may be served ant  the administrative process relating to that ticket.

Parking Enforcement Officers may issue tickets when they believe that the user of a motor vehicle has committed one of a number of offences under the Transport Act. These are also detailed in the Road Code.

The officer may attach the ticket (or a copy) to the vehicle (under the windscreen wiper, etc), hand it to the driver or person in charge of the vehicle or, post it to the owner's address. It is then deemed to have been legally served.

The matter must be settled no later than the end of the 28^th day after the ticket was issued. Settlement options include, paying the fine, you advising the Council you want to go to Court or the Council cancelling the ticket. If the matter isn't settled within 28 days, a reminder will be served on the vehicle's owner. This will happen even though you may have contacted the Council and written to us about the matter.

If, after another 28 days, the matter still hasn't been settled, the issuing authority will usually lodge the matter with the Court as an unpaid infringement fee. It then becomes a matter for the Department for Courts. Additional costs (usually $30) are added to the original fine.

Options you have:

• A brief summary of your rights and obligations is given on the back of the infringement notice.
• If you pay the fine within 28 days no further will be taken. 
• If you wish to offer an excuse, deny the offence and request a court hearing, or admit the offence but make written submissions to the Court for consideration. You must write to the Council Parking Services (or Police if they issued the ticket):

A Parking Infringement Explanation brochure and a form is provided here for your convenience. Complete all of the required sections of the form (if you don't, the form will be sent back to you). Then fax or post it back to us together with copies of any supporting evidence that you wish to provide. 

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print these documents.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Parking Infringement Explanation form (Size 29K)

Parking Infringement Explanation- Brochure  (Size 834K) 

The Council usually makes one of the following decisions:

• Cancels the infringement notice and fine (but possibly issues a warning instead)
• Asks you to provide more information or to make a statutory declaration about the circumstances.
• Rejects your explanation and requires you to pay the fee outstanding.

If your explanation isn't accepted we will send you a letter and a brochure explaining what you need to do next if you still don't want to pay the fee.

Don't forget! If you have already been served a reminder notice or have received a letter from the Council (or Police) showing the due date for resolution of the matter, please don't ignore that date.