![\"Christchurch](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4KZ7E59_T_Waka_Waipapa_Carpark_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nChristchurch Hospital car park.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ Ng\u0101i Tahu Property\n<\/p>\n
Health New Zealand has dropped plans to charge market rates for hospital car parking.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the health agency said it had received “constructive and detailed input from staff during the consultation process”.<\/p>\n
It thanked staff for their feedback, and assured them the focus remained on ensuring patients, visitors and staff could access safe, secure, and sufficient parking.<\/p>\n
“Any changes to hospital parking must be considered carefully, particularly in the context of cost-of-living pressures,” it said.<\/p>\n
“Health New Zealand’s Health New Zealand will not be progressing any changes at this time.”<\/p>\n
The Press is reporting management of the car parks was to have been outsourced to private firms.<\/p>\n
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the national consultation document had landed within the past week, and there had been a “really strong response from staff”.<\/p>\n
“People were really fired up about it,” she said.<\/p>\n
Parking was already a difficult issue for patients and staff for many hospitals around New Zealand, she explained.<\/p>\n
“If you work at night, or you’re a patient with a disability or who’s got limited mobility because of your condition, it’s not always an option to use public transport – if it’s available.”<\/p>\n
Parks reserved for doctors on-call or who needed quick access to the hospital because of the nature of their work were not always respected, she said.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate and Christchurch health care assistant Al Dietschin called it an “embarrassing U-turn for Te Whatu Ora”, but said it was heartening to see they had listened to members.<\/p>\n
“Last year there were several shocking attacks on hospital health workers forced to walk to their cars because they can’t park at or near their workplaces. This includes a Palmerston North nurse being carjacked and a Christchurch nurse being left with a concussion.<\/p>\n
Members had provided “robust feedback”, pointing out that charging market rates would leave those unable to pay even less safe.<\/p>\n
The government has been forced to backdown after trying to hike hospital parking fees for patients, visitors and health workers already squeezed by rising costs.<\/p>\n