IR-01-24-11504
30 April 2024
James Kent
[FYI request #26283 email]
Dear James
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 1 April 2024 in
which you requested information about parking offences. I have answered each part of
your request below.
1. Parking wardens employed by local authorities do not work 24/7, unlike the
police. Do police officers attend parking complaints (and tow offending vehicles)
when local authority parking wardens are not available and the vehicle is causing
an obstruction? (e.g. Broken Yel ow Lines, Blocked Vehicle Entrance)
Local councils are primarily responsible for the enforcement of parking regulations. Initial
calls of complaint from members of the public, if received by Police, wil be directed to
their respective local council. On rare occasions police officers may attend and carry out
enforcement after taking into consideration the time, place, circumstance, and whether
the matter relates to road safety. An example of this may be having a vehicle moved that
is otherwise parked in a way that obstructs a busy road and poses a safety risk to others.
2. Could you please list all SVION issued by police officers in the past year by
parking offence type?
I refer you to Table 1 below for a breakdown of the stationary vehicle infringement
offence notices (SVIONs) issued by Police in 2023.
Please note this information is drawn from a dynamic operational database and is subject
to change as new information is recorded.
3. Has the police raised concerns with central government advising that parking
infringement fees (and towing, and other road safety infringement fees, like
speeding) are too low, and no longer effectively deter unsafe behavior on our
roads?
Police has not provided any advice to the Minister of Police on the suitability of parking
infringements (or other infringements) in terms of effectively deterring unsafe behaviour
on our roads but has highlighted that for road policing activities to be most effective they
must be conducted alongside the road safety actions of our partner agencies.
Please note the Ministry of Transport is the agency responsible for leading legislative
changes including reviewing road safety penalties.
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
I trust this information satisfies your request.
Yours sincerely
Superintendent Steve Greal y
Director: Road Policing
New Zealand Police
Table 1: Number of stationary vehicle infringement offence notices issued by
Police in 2023, by offence.
Offence
SVIONs
Issued
P101 - Parked Within An Intersection
8
P102 - Parked Within 6 Metres Of An Intersection
8
P104 - Parked On Or Near A Pedestrian Crossing
2
P105 - Parked In Prohibited Area
11
P106 - Parked Over The Time Limit
6
P107 - Parked In Area Of Broken Yellow Line
356
P108 - Parked In Area Reserved For Hire Or Reward Vehicles
18
P109 - Parked Within 6m Indicated Bus Stop
17
P110 - Parked Obstructing Vehicle Entrance
28
P111 - Parked Near Fire Hydrant
5
P113 - Double Parking
4
P114 - Incorrect Kerb Parking - Left Side Of Road
53
P115 - Parked On Footpath
74
P117 - Inconsiderately Parked
97
P118 - Parked On A Motorway
161
P119 - Parked On A Loading Zone
2
P120 - Incorrect Angle Parking
11
P127 - Parked On A Flush Median Or Traffic Island
24
P128 - Parked In A Special Vehicle Lane
2
P134 - Parked On Roadside Grass Plot, Shrubs Or Flower Beds
3
P137 - Parked In No Stopping Area
1
P401 - Operated An Unregistered Motor Vehicle - Parked Vehicle
2
P402 - Operated An Unlicensed Motor Vehicle - Parked Vehicle
91
P403 - Registration Plates Not Affixed In Prescribed Manner - Parked Vehicle
2
P404 - Displayed Other Than Authorised Registration Plate - Parked Vehicle
1
P408 - Obscured Or Indistinguishable Registration Plate - Parked Vehicle
1
P410 - Used Vehicle With Exemption From Continuous Licensing - Parked Vehicle
5
P411 - Current Licence Label Not Affixed In Prescribed Manner - Parked Vehicle
8
P508 - Parked In A Clearway
53
P969 - Parked In Area Reserved For Disabled Persons
48
Total
1,102
