Auckland Transport pushes ahead with Ponsonby paid parking plan

13 streets to have paid parking

Auckland Transport got the green light to commence design and delivery of the parking changes after Waitematā Local Board approved the changes last month.

The changes include new or extended paid parking on parts of 13 side streets off Ponsonby Rd, five of which already have some paid parking in place.

“Paid parking is a proven best practice way to manage parking in an area like Ponsonby,” Auckland Transport group manager Network, Planning and Policy, Andrew McGill, said.

The changes were necessary to curb demand on side streets in the area, he added.

“Since paid parking was implemented on Ponsonby Rd itself, it is now easier for people to find parks, but parking demand has now spilled onto residential side streets.”

‘A direct threat to the viability of business’

Auckland Transport received more than 370 submissions on the changes from residents and local businesses, with 303 raising concerns.

One business owner told Auckland Transport: “This change poses a direct threat to the viability of my business at a time when many small operators are already struggling to survive in the current recession. Free two-hour parking is one of the key drawcards that supports our customer accessibility.”

The changes come at an already tough time for small businesses.

More than 160 retail spaces are currently listed as vacant in Ponsonby – compared with 100 in June 2025. This 63% increase in vacancies mirrors the accelerating decline in hospitality and retail across New Zealand.

Hospitality liquidations are already up 49% on last year, with retail liquidations close behind at 35%.

Ponsonby business owners speak out

Marcin Kulak, owner of Mekong Baby on Ponsonby Rd, doesn’t see any upside to the new charges other than the council generating more revenue.

“These changes have no positive impact on the community and businesses.

“Ponsonby already has a bad reputation for not being easy to park.”

Kulak said he had seen the negative impact of parking changes on Auckland businesses before. Prior to owning Mekong Baby, he had a business on Hurstmere Rd in Takapuna.

Marcin Kulak, director at Mekong Baby restaurant, is opposed to new parking charges being implemented in Ponsonby. Photo / Michael Craig

“We saw the same thing there, they took a free 30-minute spot from outside our business. All these changes have a negative impact.”

Biddie Cooksley, owner of Tuesday Label on Ponsonby Rd, hoped people weren’t put off coming to Ponsonby by having to pay for parking.

She said she was lucky many of her customers were local residents, but said it was a “shame” the changes were being implemented despite opposition.

McGill said public engagement was one factor in helping to inform decisions.

“We know that paid parking isn’t always popular, but Auckland Transport also needs to balance keeping busy streets moving to support access for local businesses and residents,” he said.

Residents petition AT over parking changes

Residents have also expressed concerns about the changes. Some felt they were “unnecessary” and could make Ponsonby unattractive and less accessible to visitors.

“I live on Tole St, and the parks never properly fill up,” one resident wrote in feedback to Auckland Transport.

“There’s a two-hour limit, so people still get tickets and are incentivised to move on, but residents (myself included) never have to park more than a few metres down the road.”

A group of Tole St residents petitioned Auckland Transport, arguing their friends, families and visitors should not have to pay to park outside their homes.

In response, McGill noted that three-quarters of on-street parking in Ponsonby remained free.

“There will still be more than 4000 free parking spaces in Ponsonby, most of which have time limits for visitors to the area who don’t have resident parking permits,” he said.

Broader changes coming for Newmarket and Ponsonby

The expansion of paid parking is just one change in a raft of updates hitting both Ponsonby and Newmarket.

Other key changes include:

Installing a clearway near 100 College Hill Introducing paid parking on nearby Margaret St Converting parallel parking to angle parking on Fitzroy StAdding ride-share drop off and pick up zones along Ponsonby RdAdding four new parking spaces at the west end of Hargreaves StInstalling P120 time restricted parking on Lion Place and St Mark’s Rd in place of current unrestricted parkingWidening footpaths on Broadway.

Local board members voted against extending paid parking in Ponsonby on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, noting “there is not a clear problem to solve here”.

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