Room to Move: Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland's Parking Strategy

About the strategy

Auckland is growing and changing, and this impacts where people park. Our streets are under increasing pressure to cater for a wide variety of needs within a limited amount of road space. In many parts of the city, it isn’t possible to simply widen these roads. 

Parking needs to be carefully managed so our busy main roads can carry as many people and goods as possible. It also needs to be dynamic so these spaces can adapt to different users and uses. We also need to ensure parking is available in our communities for those who need it. 

In 2023 we updated our parking strategy following a comprehensive consultation process. More than 1,500 Aucklanders shared their views. This helped shape a strategy that explains how we manage parking and how this supports a better transport system for everyone. 

The strategy encourages using roads and streets in more flexible ways at different times of the day. This means road space can change based on how many people need to travel. We know every area is different. That’s why we regularly review parking across Auckland to identify where smarter parking management can help keep your city moving. 

The strategy provides the guiding principles and policies which will help us manage our roads more effectively. Key components include: 

• a tiered parking approach sets rules based on each area’s land use and transport needs, with an interactive map showing the tier for each area 
• increased active management of parking in centres around the region, so more people can access them and misuse is discouraged 
• repurposing kerbside space to improve the safe movement of people, goods, and services on some of our most important, busiest and most congested roads 
• providing more diverse types of parking, such as spaces for rideshare, motorcycle and bicycle parking, and loading zones 
• changes to how we manage Park and Rides, to optimise utilisation and align with their purpose.

Parking in your neighbourhood

The Room to Move parking strategy guides us as we undertake parking reviews in your neighbourhood. 

Like any resource, Auckland’s parking needs to be carefully managed so that we maximise its value, uses, benefits and availability. That’s why we take different approaches to managing parking. 

Town centre parking reviews 

Auckland is growing and so are its town centres. Town centres are where people, communities and businesses flourish. This is where local communities build enterprise, connection and cohesion. Our role is to keep Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland moving so people can access jobs, education, recreational activities, friends and whānau around the region.   

We regularly review parking in town centres to identify any problems and respond to concerns. These studies involve parking surveys to gather data, consider the strategic context, and incorporate the views of local boards, business associations, and residents.​

Room to Move in the City Centre

Public consultation on Room to Move in the City Centre closed for feedback on 30 March.

For more information, visit Room to Move in the City Centre page.

Comprehensive Parking Management Plans  

Over the coming years, we'll continue to work with communities to develop parking management plans in areas where we anticipate the most demand for parking.  Areas are selected based on zoning and public transport provision (Tier 2 and Tier 3). 

These plans cover larger areas and talk about the possible changes to parking and kerbside management space over the next 10 years.  Communities will be able to point out anything we may have missed, including ways to reduce impacts on vulnerable users. 

Introducing these changes will take time. Different tools will be implemented in different areas across the city – this is likely to take place over the next ten years.  

Potential changes may involve: 

• more timed or priced parking 
• loading zones 
• rideshare spaces 
• mobility spaces 
• bicycle and scooter parking 
• changes to footpaths 
• placemaking initiatives.

Use our interactive map to see your area's parking tier.

Minor responsive works

These are the quick fixes for local parking issues, as raised by members of our communities. Every request is investigated and, if it aligns with our strategy and priorities, it is added to our list of work we need to do. Examples include broken yellow lines and time-limit signs outside shops. 

Parking price reviews

Pricing is one of the ways to manage parking demand. Parking charges are set at rates designed to help manage parking demand.  Changing the price in busy areas helps free up spaces more often. 

This means that more people can visit busy areas and it's easier to find a parking space. By setting parking fees at the right level, we can balance customer needs while also reducing costs for ratepayers by moving to a user‑pays approach.  

When demand is high, our goal is to keep on-street parking at about 85% occupied. At this level, spaces are used efficiently but drivers can still find parking. 

We conduct parking surveys regularly to maintain occupancy rates between 70% and 90% with prices adjusted as needed to stay within the 85% target. This approach, called demand-based parking, is part of our overall parking strategy. We conduct two levels of price reviews: 

Specific paid parking area reviews

Parking survey results will be discussed with the relevant local board and business associations. We'll publish any changes to paid parking in the area at least 7 days before they're made. 

Paid parking area reviews improve the availability of parking and reduce the traffic caused by cars looking for a parking space.

Annual price reviews

New hourly rates are applied in existing paid parking areas across Auckland. During this process, we consider: 

• reviews from the previous 12 months 
• public transport prices 
• the economic growth in local board areas 
• the price of competitors offerings 
• operational factors.

Parking strategy documents

Full parking strategy, as adopted by the AT Board on 30 May 2023

Download Room to Move: Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Parking Strategy (PDF 15.7MB).

Parking strategy highlights

Download the summary of the Room to Move: Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Parking Strategy (PDF 9.7MB).

Plain text version

Download a plain text version of the Parking Strategy (DOCX 79KB).

Public feedback on the draft strategy