How the permits work

A new kind of resident permit

The new-style parking scheme is new to Wellington but works well in other cities in residential areas where parking is under pressure. 

Households that apply for and are granted an annual permit will be able to park for as long as they want to in P180 spaces which state authorised residents vehicles are exempt from the time restriction.

The new parking scheme uses three main tools to fairly share on-street parking:

• short-stay parking (P180 resident permit exempt) - the three-hour time-limit will not apply to residents who have permits 
• eligibility criteria and priority groups, to guide how the permits are allocated
• a limit on the total number of permits issued for each parking zone (85 percent of the P180 spaces).

Three zones

The Newtown and Berhampore parking scheme area will be divided into three zones:

• Berhampore
• Newtown west
• Newtown east

Resident permits issued will apply to one of the three zones not the whole Berhampore/Newtown area. Under the parking plan, the area is being divided into zones to increase the chances people will be able to  park reasonably close to their homes. 

If there was just one big zone, people who live in one part of the area but work in another could choose to commute within these suburbs, and use their residential permit to park for extended periods during the day. This could make it more difficult for people who for instance live close to the hospital, to park reasonably close to where they live.

Permits and timeline for applying

Permits will be electronic, and the vehicle licence plate number will serve as the permit.  

It’s expected households in the Berhampore and Newtown west zones that want to apply for a permit, will need to do so in April/May 2024, as it's planned the scheme will be introduced in these areas first. When applications open, it will be easy to apply for resident and visitor permits online. It will also be possible to apply at the Council service centre in Manners Street.

More information about the online application process and dates will be available here and delivered to households in April/May 2024 before applications open.

Residents who have an existing parking permit will need to apply for a new resident parking permit. Any remaining time on the existing parking permit will be credited towards a new parking permit and the fee will be adjusted accordingly.

It’s likely the scheme will be introduced in the Newtown east zone (hospital side) in mid-2025. By then there will be a safe bike link all the way from Island Bay to the city, which along with walking and bus improvements, will make travelling in climate-friendly ways safer and easier, and possible for more people.

The staged introduction will allow commuters, including hospital staff who currently rely on on-street parking, more time to consider alternatives and Wellington Regional Hospital more time  to implement alternative travel measures and progress proposals to increase on-site parking.  It may temporarily increase resident parking pressures in the Newtown east area from mid-2024 to mid-2025.

Visitor day passes

All households in the Newtown and Berhampore parking scheme area will be eligible to apply for an allocation of free visitor day passes every year.  All households in the area will be able to apply for visitor passes.   Even if you don't have a car, you may want to apply for some to have access to if people come to stay.

Households with no off-street parking will be eligible for 50 free day passes a year for visitors.

Households with off-street parking will be eligible for 25 free passes a year.

It will be possible for households in Newtown and Berhampore to buy additional visitor (day) permits for $18 each.

Passes will have to be activated online (or through a service centre) to a specific vehicle licence plate number in advance or on the day they are going to be used.  There will be no windscreen stickers or paper permits.

Tradespeople working in the area and needing to stay longer than three  hours  can use a visitor day pass activated by the resident they are working for or buy a trade parking coupon.

Enforcing the new P180 parking zones

The way parking is monitored in the city is changing. Wardens already use technology which allows them to tell by number plate alone whether vehicles are permitted to park in certain locations. Our wardens' ability to more quickly and effectively enforce parking restrictions in areas like this is going to significantly improve in the near future using these developing technologies.  

Resident permit eligibility

Households and businesses whose main address is within one of the zones are eligible to apply for a resident permit for that zone only.  

If approved, this will allow permit holders to park a designated vehicle in the P180 resident permit exempt parking in their zone for longer than three hours. People who live in Council-owned flats in the parking scheme zones are eligible to apply for resident permits and visitor day passes.

The new scheme prioritises the allocation of permits to people and households who need them most including temporary and permanent mobility permit holders. 

There is a maximum of two permits per dwelling, except where there are multiple mobility permit holders in a single household.  All mobility permit holder residents are eligible for a resident permit.

Anyone who would like to be considered for a permit will need to re-apply annually. The fee will likely change in the future (through annual and long-term plan fee changes) but is currently $195 for a 12-month period, or 54 cents a day. This is consistent with resident parking permits elsewhere in the city. Fees are set to cover the costs of operating and enforcing parking schemes. They are not used to generate  additional revenue.

It will be possible to pay in full or bi-annual, quarterly or monthly instalments. We are also looking into the possibility of free parking permits for mobility permit holders and discounts for low income earners.  

Receiving a permit one year is not a guarantee you'll necessarily get one in future years as the application process will depend on the number of  households that apply.  Numbers applying are expected to increase as more people live in these areas.

A permit is not required for vehicles carrying out essential duties and statutory powers. This includes emergency vehicles attending an emergency or vehicles from utility companies actively doing unscheduled emergency repair works, such as repairing a water leak or reinstating power supply.

Motorcycles and scooters

If you want to be able to park a scooter or motorbike in P180 resident permit exempt spaces for longer than three hours (8am-8pm, Monday to Friday), you will need to apply for a permit.

Moving in and out of the suburbs

If you move in to the area during the year, you will be able to apply and may be granted a permit for the rest of the 12-month period at a cost consistent with the number of months left in the annual cycle. If you move out of the parking scheme area,  you will be able to apply for a partial refund.

 Ineligible dwellings

The following types of properties will be ineligible for resident exempt permits

• halls of residence
• correctional facilities
• hotels
• motels
• hostels
• serviced apartments
• guesthouses
• properties operating solely as an Airbnb or other type of holiday let.

If a business (occupying commercial premises and paying business rates) or institution is permanently located within one of the scheme zones (and has been there longer than three months), they may apply for an exemption permit.

Ineligible vehicles

You won’t be able to get permits for the following types of vehicles:

• non-motorised vehicles (such as trailers, and caravans), heavy goods vehicles, motorhomes, house buses, buses, and coaches
• boats
• all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and quad bikes.

The number of resident permits available will be limited – here’s how they will be allocated

The total number of permits available will be allocated in rounds, by priority groups. Permits will be issued in order of priority until all applications are processed or until the permit cap for the area has been reached.

Any dwelling with a  driveway or garage kerb ramp will be deemed to have off-street parking because a ramp prevents anyone else parking on this part of the street.

Garages will count as off-street parking even if the garage is being used for other purposes like storage or is too small for an owner’s current vehicle.

Allocation will be done in rounds in the following order in line with the Parking Policy 2020 (excluding group 2):

Group 1 – temporary or permanent mobility permit holders

Group 2 - electric vehicle owners with no off-street parking (note - in line with community feedback in late 2023, Councillors agreed this group will not be given this priority level, or any special priority, as part of the Newtown and Berhampore parking scheme.)

Group 3 – first permit for houses built before 1930s or apartments built before 1940s with no off-street parking

Group 4 – first permit for other dwellings built before 2020 with no off-street parking

Group 5 – first permit for businesses located within the P180 resident permit exempt parking zone

Group 6 – second permits for priority dwellings as outlined below.

Group 6a) – multi-occupied dwellings (house share/ flat) built before the 1930s with no off-street parking

Group 6(b) – multi-occupied dwellings (house share/flat) built between the 1930s and 2020 with no off-street parking

Group 6(c) – businesses within a P180 resident permit exempt parking zone with no off-street parking spaces, including staff or customer spaces

Group 7 – first permit for all dwellings built before August 2020 with one or more off-street parking spaces

Group 8 – first permit for all dwellings built from August 2020 with or without off-street parking spaces

Group 9 – second permits for all other dwellings.