Cafe owner protests Punakaiki parking charges
Photo:
Lois Williams / LDR
A Punakaiki café owner is urging the Conservation Department to rethink its plan to charge for parking at the famous Pancake Rocks on the West Coast.
Grant Parrett told a meeting of the West Coast Tai o Poutini Conservation Board this week that parking charges create de facto entry fee to (Paparoa) National Park, which was unlawful.
Photo:
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has asked for a trial of paid parking to boost revenue.
DOC is aiming to launch a pilot programme in October at Punakaiki, Franz Josef and White Horse Hill at Aoraki Mt Cook.
Project manager John Dore told the Board that DOC had serious budget pressures including a 30 percent shortfall in funding for its visitor network and a huge deficit in the amount available for biodiversity.
"For protection of all endangered species we have a budget of $300 million - but a need of $2.3 billion," Dore said.
Climate events in the last few years had added $90 million in costs, he added.
Paid parking was a tool used internationally in nature parks and would help manage overcrowding at busy sites, he told the board.
But Parrett said the move would turn public conservation land into a Wilsons-style parking lot, and urged the board to oppose it.
A business owner says parking fees will disadvantage local people who call in for a coffee.
Photo:
Lois Williams / LDR
"However you label it, it's a National Park entry fee; it contravenes the National Parks Act and it diminishes DOC's social license to operate."
There were no free parks at Punakaiki because they had been removed to make room for the new Visitor Centre development and people would have no option but to pay to walk around the Pancake Rocks, Parrett said.
Unlike Franz Josef or Aoraki Mt Cook, Punakaiki was not a tourist destination but a stop-off attraction for people driving the scenic Coast Road, and for most of the year there was no congestion or capacity problem in the carpark, he said.
"Parking fees will disadvantage local people who call in for a coffee or to stretch their legs, and we don't want this," he said.
While DOC owned the land, taxpayers had funded the $45 million Dolomite Point Visitor Centre development and the building was gifted by the last government to manawhenua, NgatiWaewae, who now leased office space back to DOC.
The public has paid for this development and costs should be kept low, he said.
"I am surprised that the iwi has supported the paid parking trial … unless they stand to benefit from it," Parrett said.
If people had to pay for parking they might be less likely to pay for Ngati Waewae's interactive visitor experience inside, he suggested.
Ngati Waewae's representative on the Conservation Board, Francois Tumahai, objected.
"I disagree with everything you've said. The cost of the building was not $45 million and we're not getting a cent from the project. In the early days we suggested we might provide (parking) wardens … that's it."
Parrett suggested it would be good if the iwi put out a statement to that effect in the interests of transparency.
The iwi leader responded: "You're the one causing all the grief - you put it out."
Board chairperson Dr Mike Legge closed off the discussion and thanked Parrett for his contribution to the public forum.
The new visitor centre opened in November 2024.
Photo:
LDR / SUPPLIED
The Dolomite Point Visitor Centre, funded by the Provincial Growth Fund, was budgeted to cost $26 million but the project - including the new carparks - received a funding boost of $15 million in 2023 and cost a total of $40.9 million.
The paid parking trial, including charging technology and upgrades to carparks at the three sites, is being funded by $3.8 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
DOC plans to release its pricing strategy early next month and hold public drop-in sessions at Punakaiki, Franz Josef and Aoraki in mid August.
Submissions close on August 26 for Punakaiki, and September 30 for Aoraki.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Bremworth rebuilds Napier factory destroyed in cyclone
Bremworth is investing $6 million in restoring its yarn-making facilities in Napier. File photo. Photo: Bremworth Carpet maker Bremworth is rebuilding its Napier yarn plant which was destroyed in Cyclone Gabrielle , opening up 40 jobs. It had already been running a dyehouse onsite, but was now investing $6 million in restoring its yarn-making facilities. It used to employ about 150 staff at the Napier factory, but most of them lost their jobs when the floodwaters hit. For the past couple of years Bremworth has been importing yarn to bolster supplies from its Whanganui spinning plant. Bremworth chief executive Craig Woolford told Checkpoint it felt good to be coming back. "It's a great feeling. The staff they are just beyond themselves... everybody can see a really good outcome for this." The plant should be up and running by the end of October. Woolford said the hunt for staff was currently on, including re-recruiting those who lost their jobs after Cyclone Gabrielle. "We've had quite a positive response from a lot of those people. So where we've been able to, we've started that recruitment process with the people that have previously worked for us that are keen to come back." He said they had also had a great response from the wider community. "We've had a huge amount of people just turning up in the last couple of days looking for work." Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed most of the plant more than two years ago - Woolford said the damage was extensive. "There was about one and a half metres of water that went through the entire plant and you know most of our electrical equipment, all the electric motors, all completely flooded. All the machines were flooded." While the plant was shut, the company had to outsource much of their yarn making. "We've been buying it from places around the world. China, India, Pakistan, you know, all these different places, which is, you know, it got us through, but it's also come with its own issues. "The quality levels that we've got from these external providers hasn't been to the same level of quality we can manage ourselves in house." Woolford said by producing the wool in-house, they were getting better quality as well as saving on costs. "We will save between $3.50 and $5 a kilo if we do it ourselves in house." While they would love to see a higher demand for the product, Woolford said things were steady enough. "The fact that we'll be able to run two yarn plants... [24 hours a day, five days a week] shows that it's reasonably steady." He said wool carpet makes up for about 15 percent of the New Zealand and Australian soft flooring market, but with shifting demand the company was in the process of creating a synthetic carpet too. "Wool is I guess, at the higher end of carpet and a lot of people look at it and think it's a it's a big expense, and sometimes it is, so they opt for a synthetic carpet." Now three months out from reopening, Woolford said it felt great to be rebuilding, and wished they had done it sooner. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
The Panel with Madison Burgess-Smith and Mike Williams Part 1
Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Madison Burgess-Smith and Mike Williams. Starting off, the Panel hears how homelessness and rough sleeping is on the rise across the country and then they discuss the government's move to ban on-card payments in-store, saving shoppers from being stung with surprise fees when paying with contactless technology. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Ban on card payment surcharges: Cafe owner says they'll have to pass on cost
The government plans to ban surcharges on card payments for in-person payments. Photo: 123rf Prices may need to rise at restaurants and cafes due to a ban on credit card surcharges, the sector is warning. The government plans to ban surcharges on card payments for in-person payments. Legislation is expected to be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year, with the ban to kick into effect no later than May 2026. Richard Corney, founder of Flight Coffee and The Hangar cafe, said he would have to pass the cost on to consumers somehow. "Our cafe, The Hangar, paid $17,000 in merchant fees in 2023 for the privilege of using PayWave and other associated services," Corney said. "Yes, it speeds up service and there's value using it, but the solution isn't banning vendors from on charging this expense. What next? They ban cafes from charging a surcharge for opening on a public holiday? Better yet, and while they're putting restrictions on the banks, why not ban the banks from charging for this service outright and save small businesses real money by not having to fund this expense." He said cafes would operate on profit to revenue ratios of less than five percent. "Banks do not - and they're also institutionally paramount functions of our society," Corney said. He said $17,000 was a significant portion of after-tax profit "I absolutely have to on-charge any associated expense with regard to this." The policy seemed out of touch, he said. Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois agreed it would be tough on hospitality businesses operating on tight margins. "These surcharges are genuine costs that businesses must pay. Without surcharges, businesses will need to absorb these fees, further impacting already small margins." She said the announcement had come as a surprise. "We've actively engaged with the Government to outline the financial pressures faced by hospitality businesses due to bank-imposed fees," Bidois said. "While we welcome consumer-focused changes, we are concerned about the lack of consultation on this particular announcement." She said businesses would probably need to adjust their pries. "Removing the ability to surcharge could mean businesses factoring these costs into their overall pricing, potentially leading to increased costs for diners." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
