October 27, 2025 • 7 mins
The number of parking fines given out by Auckland Transport’s licence plate-recognition vehicles has almost doubled.
New data shows shows the licence plate recognition vehicles issued more than 518,000 fines in the last year.
AA Policy Director Martin Glynn joined the Afternoons team to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from newstalk EDB. Follow this
and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
So, as we've been discussing, the number of parking fines
AT has handed out with its licensed plate recognition cars
is almost doubled from twenty twenty three to twenty twenty
four last years, or more than half a million infringements issued. Oh,
I know half a mil. The AA hopes the parking
enforcement cards are being used for keeping spots clear rather
than revenue generation. To chat more about this, we're joined
(00:39):
by AA policy director Martin Glenn Martin. Very good afternoon
to you.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Good afternoon.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
So Martin, how many is too many parking enforcement cars?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, it's a good question, and look, that's certainly one
we can't answer. AT has made a decision that they
are a lot parking enforcement cards are a lot more efficient.
And I guess that release of the safety concerns you've
raised about parking parking water v issue for US is
(01:13):
is there a problem with people finding parking? That's what
you know, the parking strategies meant to be behind. And
if that's the case, then obviously parking EO does need
to be be enforced. But yeah, this this number is
a huge increase in one year.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Do you think it is fair that they have these
vehicles driving in loops all day trying to find these
people park for a couple of minutes over over what
they paid. Do you think that is fair cop or
just a little bit overboard.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I think that they're becoming increasingly common throughout the world,
and there are an other cities cities to so it's
it's probably just you know, we're getting getting speed tickets
in under things. Actually this way to its it's it's
really a question of what problem they're trying to solve
and the legitimate parking shortages people are coming into areas
(02:04):
and not you know, driving around around and not being
able to get a part. It kind of makes sense
to look to use these alongside parking wardens. But where
there's where there's not a problem, you know, it just
does what everybody suspicion that it's just about revenue generation.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Well, it is just about revenue generation, though, isn't It
isn't that isn't that clearly the case because you know
they're they're they're pinging people in areas where there isn't
congestion and pinging people at times when there isn't congestion,
So how do they justify that that has to be
about revenue generation.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I haven't seen any of the specific data. I mean,
this is something we've asked at time and time about
over the years, even before these cars were around them.
They're a short asset's about addressing the problem by that,
by that, by the same token. In the last year
or two, it's the council. The mayor and the council
(03:01):
have been leaning on at to raise or cover more
of its costs from its own sources, and they're particularly
highlighted parking. So I think it's a yeah. I do
think it's a reasonable supposition that not every parking car
out there is just is just doing it to make
sure parkings available for people.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Surely there's something in the double amount of fines, I mean,
half a million infringements and the big chunk of those
who are around parking enforcement does not take the human
element out of it. Martin that it does feel an
attack on citizens rather than seeing the context of why
someone might have stopped for an extra minute in a
particular parking spot. You get what I mean that if
there's a human warden and there's an emergency that's happened,
(03:42):
or whatever the reason is, there's that human element to say, hey,
fair cop, you can't park here, do what you need
to do and move on, rather than just smashing them
all with these fines.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Look, I think that's a very legitimate question. It's something
that you'd need to put to at itself. I know, well,
I understand that the parking charges are initially checked in
the office. That's definitely obviously they're big on the street
and been able to listen to somebody's explanation. But yes,
(04:14):
without that you can't tell us, you know, does someone
have a legitimate reason, But as you say, just being
a mintt leor too over or having not not even
paid a parking charge, because I note that was the
thing the at spots highlighted. It seem to be the
most common thing. People haven't paid a parking charge at all.
So it's probably deshing into the shop for a minute
or two in picking it it's not worth paying and
(04:35):
parking charge.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
And then some punishes zooms passed and pings them with
no nuance at all. So if this, you know, it
gets to the point where it's no longer a friendly
back and forth, and there's no gray area in terms
of some you know, empathy or consideration about what people
are doing in their day, because we're all members of
this of any particular city we live in, and you know,
(04:58):
we're all trying to get around and do our business
and visit shops and keep the economy running. So is
it time to ask questions around their right to charge
us at all? We've already paid for the roads through
rates and taxes, and you know, isn't it our right
to just park on the road that we already own?
I mean, the council doesn't own it, the citizens own it.
(05:19):
So I could maybe understand if they find you if
you've been there for two hours, But where does the
moral right to charge us for the first from minute
one that we park on our own streets?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I mean, I agree with you, and I think there
is an element of with any fine, whether it's parking
or anything else, there needs to be an element of discretion,
and that's where the human factor comes in it. I
don't know what the at back office does when these
cameras presumably download all the infringements they've taken, and I
(05:53):
understand the humans still got to look at them one
by one. But it would say you could argue that
that's you know, that's too remote to kind of understand
everybody's circumstances. So yeah, there is people do have an
objection right process, they can go for it. And that's
something else A members reasonably regularly contact us about.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Now the AT is always talking about and this is
true across the whole country. They're talking about, you know,
congestion problems. And this might be a bit of a
leading question, but whose fault is the shortage of parking
in the CBD of say Auckland.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, I was able to listen to some of your
story a few minutes ago. An Auckland council you're absolutely
ride has been going through a kind of city center
access plan for the best part of a decade now,
of which the city rail link is one of the centerpieces,
and it's aimed at making it more easier for other
(06:51):
modes to get around. And that's that's obviously at the
next sense of the car. So that's a legitimate question
to put to them. There there buildings like the Downtown
Car Park, which holds two thousand people that have been
sold to to to Development's planning on putting high rises up.
(07:12):
Auckland Council continuously sees the off street parking is a
surplus available that's never full. It doesn't need to provide
be down to parking space it wants to, but you're right,
it's still the main way. Most of us excess the
city center as through a car, so you're getting that
ballance riders tricky.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, thank you so much, great discussion, Martin. Thank you
very much for joining us. Really appreciate it, and have
a good rest of the afternoon.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Cheers you guys too.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
For more from News Talks B listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from newstalk EDB. Follow this
and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
So, as we've been discussing, the number of parking fines
AT has handed out with its licensed plate recognition cars
is almost doubled from twenty twenty three to twenty twenty
four last years, or more than half a million infringements issued. Oh,
I know half a mil. The AA hopes the parking
enforcement cards are being used for keeping spots clear rather
than revenue generation. To chat more about this, we're joined
(00:39):
by AA policy director Martin Glenn Martin. Very good afternoon
to you.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Good afternoon.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
So Martin, how many is too many parking enforcement cars?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, it's a good question, and look, that's certainly one
we can't answer. AT has made a decision that they
are a lot parking enforcement cards are a lot more efficient.
And I guess that release of the safety concerns you've
raised about parking parking water v issue for US is
(01:13):
is there a problem with people finding parking? That's what
you know, the parking strategies meant to be behind. And
if that's the case, then obviously parking EO does need
to be be enforced. But yeah, this this number is
a huge increase in one year.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Do you think it is fair that they have these
vehicles driving in loops all day trying to find these
people park for a couple of minutes over over what
they paid. Do you think that is fair cop or
just a little bit overboard.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I think that they're becoming increasingly common throughout the world,
and there are an other cities cities to so it's
it's probably just you know, we're getting getting speed tickets
in under things. Actually this way to its it's it's
really a question of what problem they're trying to solve
and the legitimate parking shortages people are coming into areas
(02:04):
and not you know, driving around around and not being
able to get a part. It kind of makes sense
to look to use these alongside parking wardens. But where
there's where there's not a problem, you know, it just
does what everybody suspicion that it's just about revenue generation.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Well, it is just about revenue generation, though, isn't It
isn't that isn't that clearly the case because you know
they're they're they're pinging people in areas where there isn't
congestion and pinging people at times when there isn't congestion,
So how do they justify that that has to be
about revenue generation.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I haven't seen any of the specific data. I mean,
this is something we've asked at time and time about
over the years, even before these cars were around them.
They're a short asset's about addressing the problem by that,
by that, by the same token. In the last year
or two, it's the council. The mayor and the council
(03:01):
have been leaning on at to raise or cover more
of its costs from its own sources, and they're particularly
highlighted parking. So I think it's a yeah. I do
think it's a reasonable supposition that not every parking car
out there is just is just doing it to make
sure parkings available for people.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Surely there's something in the double amount of fines, I mean,
half a million infringements and the big chunk of those
who are around parking enforcement does not take the human
element out of it. Martin that it does feel an
attack on citizens rather than seeing the context of why
someone might have stopped for an extra minute in a
particular parking spot. You get what I mean that if
there's a human warden and there's an emergency that's happened,
(03:42):
or whatever the reason is, there's that human element to say, hey,
fair cop, you can't park here, do what you need
to do and move on, rather than just smashing them
all with these fines.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Look, I think that's a very legitimate question. It's something
that you'd need to put to at itself. I know, well,
I understand that the parking charges are initially checked in
the office. That's definitely obviously they're big on the street
and been able to listen to somebody's explanation. But yes,
(04:14):
without that you can't tell us, you know, does someone
have a legitimate reason, But as you say, just being
a mintt leor too over or having not not even
paid a parking charge, because I note that was the
thing the at spots highlighted. It seem to be the
most common thing. People haven't paid a parking charge at all.
So it's probably deshing into the shop for a minute
or two in picking it it's not worth paying and
(04:35):
parking charge.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
And then some punishes zooms passed and pings them with
no nuance at all. So if this, you know, it
gets to the point where it's no longer a friendly
back and forth, and there's no gray area in terms
of some you know, empathy or consideration about what people
are doing in their day, because we're all members of
this of any particular city we live in, and you know,
(04:58):
we're all trying to get around and do our business
and visit shops and keep the economy running. So is
it time to ask questions around their right to charge
us at all? We've already paid for the roads through
rates and taxes, and you know, isn't it our right
to just park on the road that we already own?
I mean, the council doesn't own it, the citizens own it.
(05:19):
So I could maybe understand if they find you if
you've been there for two hours, But where does the
moral right to charge us for the first from minute
one that we park on our own streets?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I mean, I agree with you, and I think there
is an element of with any fine, whether it's parking
or anything else, there needs to be an element of discretion,
and that's where the human factor comes in it. I
don't know what the at back office does when these
cameras presumably download all the infringements they've taken, and I
(05:53):
understand the humans still got to look at them one
by one. But it would say you could argue that
that's you know, that's too remote to kind of understand
everybody's circumstances. So yeah, there is people do have an
objection right process, they can go for it. And that's
something else A members reasonably regularly contact us about.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Now the AT is always talking about and this is
true across the whole country. They're talking about, you know,
congestion problems. And this might be a bit of a
leading question, but whose fault is the shortage of parking
in the CBD of say Auckland.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Well, I was able to listen to some of your
story a few minutes ago. An Auckland council you're absolutely
ride has been going through a kind of city center
access plan for the best part of a decade now,
of which the city rail link is one of the centerpieces,
and it's aimed at making it more easier for other
(06:51):
modes to get around. And that's that's obviously at the
next sense of the car. So that's a legitimate question
to put to them. There there buildings like the Downtown
Car Park, which holds two thousand people that have been
sold to to to Development's planning on putting high rises up.
(07:12):
Auckland Council continuously sees the off street parking is a
surplus available that's never full. It doesn't need to provide
be down to parking space it wants to, but you're right,
it's still the main way. Most of us excess the
city center as through a car, so you're getting that
ballance riders tricky.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, thank you so much, great discussion, Martin. Thank you
very much for joining us. Really appreciate it, and have
a good rest of the afternoon.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Cheers you guys too.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
For more from News Talks B listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
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