6 May 2020

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Zero COVID-19 cases in Lakes DHB region

Enquiry

I'm working on an article around there being no active cases of Covid-19 in the Lakes (and now Bay of Plenty) district health board areas. I was hoping to get some comment from you Steve, questions below:

* What does this mean for us? How proud are you of the way our region has pulled together and driven the virus out?

* While this is a milestone, how important is it for everyone to continue being vigilant and following the rules?

* What do you think of the work the health boards and front line workers have done to get us to this point?

* What do you think of the idea of having regional bubbles? Should we be able to move into Alert Level 2 sooner than those who still have active cases?

Response

From Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick:

If it were announced today that we could move to level 2 tomorrow I would be thrilled. The sooner the better, for the sake of our economy and our people in my view. However, it needs to be carefully managed - as it has been to date - to ensure any transition is at reduced risk, because we do not want to end up moving backwards.

If a regional bubble could be safely implemented I'd certainly be in favour of that, but it's not a decision I can make.

People are hurting but we need to remember the reason we went into lockdown was to save lives and we need to trust that those leading the management of COVID-19 in New Zealand and have all the information available to them, are working in the best interests of everyone.

Our region has done fantastically well and I've been impressed with the caring and aroha that I've seen across our community. Levels 4 and 3 haven't been easy for anyone and to have no cases at all now is testament to people's commitment to fighting the virus, and to the exceptional work of all of our health and other essential workers who continue to look after our wellbeing.

I want to see Rotorua back up and running as soon as possible but we need to continue to be guided by the experts and in the meantime, we need to stick to what we're doing and remain patient so we can transition sooner rather than later.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: CBD parking

Enquiry

I'm working on a story off the attached LGOIMA re i-Park.

I'd like to put some comments to the council for right of reply and I'd also like an update on i-Park more generally.

I've attached the LGOIMA [see HERE] info for your reference.

The council can also respond to any of the claims made in the LGOIMA emails if desired.

Comments:

[Ryan Gray] said the number and detail of the complaints came as no surprise and while the old meters definitely had to go, the new system had been a bit of a flop.

It backs up everything I've heard from people in town and comments on social media.

He said the council could consider canning the system temporarily until it is fixed in order to regain the public's confidence in it, and alert level 3 might be a good time for a soft launch.

That would be an extreme measure but that should be on the table.

[With Covid-19] the CBD is going to be facing issues they've never faced before, and if the car parking system is still going to be having these issues then that's just another reason to stop people coming back and getting the economy ticking over again.

CBD business owner Craig Elliott, who runs hairdressing salon House of Elliot, said businesses were expecting a new normal around Covid-19, with strict guidelines to adhere to, and he hoped the long-awaited-for I-Park app would now be up and running.

Automated parking will help businesses in the CBD synchronise time pressures for services they offer. Flexible options are needed for our patrons.

He said more versatility was required to remedy the parking system, suggesting a move to supply some free 15-minute zones, with a majority of 180-minute zones.

CBD worker zones could be scattered throughout, which he said would be helpful to businesses in the area.

Comments from LGOIMA used in article:

She wanted to congratulate the council and i-Park for bringing a 53-year-old professional woman to tears.

Parking on Pukuatua St, the woman, whose name has been redacted for privacy reasons, attempted to pay for her parking but found the machine would not accept coins.

She said it took five minutes of trying every coin in her purse and yet again I am late for work because of machines that don't work.

I get to work and call [the] council to advise them for the 15th (yes I am counting) time that this machine is still not working. I get told again to pay at any machine', yes, but you can't pay for a whole day. You have to go down every three hours to pay.

The woman then attempted to pay for parking at the council and was, according to her letter, told they could not accept coins for parking.

The letter says the woman did not have a credit card and wouldn't use it anyway because of the extra fee levied on credit card payments.

By now I was in tears.

The complainant said she would not have been able to return to the meter while at work.

The absolute and utter frustration of this new scheme is beyond belief. The stress and upset not only to me but my colleagues is quite astounding.

Writing on December 3 2019, the woman said she had experienced issues with the machines at least 12 times in the past two months, and described discussions at her workplace as about the frustration, inflexibility, unfairness and total incompetence of the staff you deal with.

She finished the email asking why the machines could not be fixed properly, why eftpos payment wasn't an option, why there was no app to top up parking and why when we continually call or email can't we get the service and assistance from an organisation that our rates pay for.

Another complaint, received via Facebook, was from a man who said he had been ticketed for parking when two parking meters had blank screens.

I wrote away to have the fine removed as we always pay our parking. I have just received an update informing us they will not accept it. This is disgusting as we would have [paid] for the parking.

Questions:

Complainant a) lady who was 'in tears' December 3 2019

Complainant b) man who submitted complaint via Facebook

• Can you please provide an update of the i-Park system since February 5?
• How many complaints has the council received in total about the i-Park system?
• Were complainant a and b's disputes resolved? If so, what was the result?
• What date did complainant b make his complaint (via Facebook) [it looks likely to be November 26 2019 but want to check]
• Can you please provide an update on the i-Park app? [I note Stavros said it would be available from mid-February - did this eventuate? What about the simplified navigation?]
• Why is eftpos (non-debit) not an option on the machines, as one complainant states?
• Does the council have any interest in the idea Ryan Gray put forward, to pause the system until issues have been resolved?

Response

Please note this response was not returned to the reporter within his specified deadline. The reporter chose to publish his story without Council's response.

Please find responses to your questions below. Some of this is covered in the recent news item that has been uploaded to Council's website here.

For accuracy, when reporting on the parking system please refer to it as Council's parking system rather than i-Park's parking system. I-Park is contracted by Council to manage our parking system.

Can you please provide an update of the i-Park system since February 5? See update on Council's website.

Can you please provide an update on the i-Park app? [I note Stavros said it would be available from mid-February - did this eventuate? What about the simplified navigation?] See update on Council's website.

What date did complainant b make his complaint (via Facebook) [it looks likely to be November 26 2019 but want to check] - This date is correct.

Were complainant a and b's disputes resolved? If so, what was the result? Both infringements were upheld.

How many complaints has the council received in total about the i-Park system?

Felix, for your information only, not to be published - this data is not recorded in a way that can be easily split to show complaints relating specifically to i-Park and the data provided does not include disputes relating to infringements. Please also note, as above, the parking system is Council's system, not i-Parks. I-Park is contracted to manage our system.

Information for publishing: In total, Council received 373 complaints regarding parking policy, parking operations, and parking machines from 1 May 2019 to 31 March 2020. 204 of these complaints refer to parking meter issues.

Why is eftpos (non-debit) not an option on the machines, as one complainant states?

From Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations Group Manager Jocelyn Mikaere:

"When we were considering options for the new systemCouncil was advised by i-Park that providing the option to pay by eftpos would be significantly more expensive, both to provide and operate, and that the technology supporting eftpos payments is not as secure for unattended payments, or robust in outdoor environments and when used incorrectly.

"The current card payment system is consistent with similar parking solutions throughout New Zealand and all over the world, and offers convenience and security for parking service users in the city."

Does the council have any interest in the idea Ryan Gray put forward, to pause the system until issues have been resolved?

From Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations Group Manager Jocelyn Mikaere:

"As discussed in the February Operations and Monitoring Committee meeting, data from the parking system shows it is a very well used service by many. Feedback from some customers demonstrated there was room for improvement around user education and experience in regards to some aspects of the system. This feedback has been acknowledged, and key changes to the system have been either implemented already or are currently underway (see parking update available here). Pausing the entire system is not necessary to implement these changes as they form part of our ongoing continuous improvement approach to parking."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Media: RotoruaNow

Topic: Parking petition

Enquiry

I was wondering if I could get some RLC response regarding this petition launched today by Susan Jory (Portico Pictures).

http://chng.it/9SfnQwQvmd

She is asking the council to introduce free parking to help local business through the Covid crisis - and for the rest of time...

1. WIll the council consider introducing free parking as per the petition? Why? Why not?
2. Does council think offering free parking will help local businesses survive? Why? Why not?

Response

From Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations Group Manager Jocelyn Mikaere:

We agree it is now more crucial than ever for people to be able to easily access businesses in the CBD.

Council's current parking policy is about fair and consistent management of parking to help ensure availability and turnover of car parks for the collective good of all users, and it is a well-used system (see here for information on usage data).

Any change to our current policy would require a decision of Council and would need to be carefully considered.

We have previously trialled free parking in the CBD and then faced the issue of some inner city workers parking all day outside their place of work, or other's businesses, meaning limited available spaces for customers and sparking complaints from businesses.

Our current parking layout provides a good balance of time-limited free parking and paid parking to best manage premium parking space in the CBD. The layout includes a significant portion of free time-limited parking right in the heart of the city. Most of Tutanekai Street and a collection of adjoining streets contain free P60 parking. This is surrounded by a number of free P15 parks which are also aimed at assisting convenience shopping. This allows access to key retail areas for short periods of time and creates turnover and availability of car park spaces for customers.

The provision and maintenance of car parking spaces comes at a cost regardless of whether the parking itself is free. A user-pays' system helps ensure that the activity is primarily funded by those that are actively using it.

While we have been in Alert Level 4 and Level 3, a number of improvements to the system have been made. In Alert Level 2, customers will find the parking machines now have more user friendly on-screen instructions, the Pukuatua Street parking building has been upgraded, the parking app will be launched and some existing all day paid parking areas will become $4 a day parking zones for inner city workers (more information about these changes is available here).

We are continuing to monitor the utilisation of the parking system as part of our continuous improvement approach to parking.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Parking petition

Enquiry

I'm also working on a story about this petition, filing today.

Will send through some additional comments from the petitioner shortly, but they don't deviate greatly from what is already in the petition.

So if the council can please respond to the statements in that petition, that would be great. My deadline is 2 pm please.

Follow up

I invite the council to respond to these comments, if desired, by 2.30pm today.

Additional comments from Susan Jory, owner of Portico Gallery (petitioner).

"I've always thought having to pay for parking ... to shop locally is unfair.

"The world has changed and I think the council really needs to help local businesses, everyone else wants to support local businesses and surely our own council should do so as well.

"I sent them [the council] an email, I sent the link to the petition to the mayor, the council ... because it feels as though ... its unfair and undemocratic that people have to pay to shop at small local business but they can shop for free at the big guys. It's a bit of a David and Goliath story really.

"What do I want them to understand? That we need to do anything we can to encourage people to shop locally and not put barriers in place.

"Having to pay for parking and parking meters that nobody knows how to use, they all get confused about it. When we were open, pre-Covid ... we would always get people coming in saying how do you use these parking meters ... it's just a nightmare. And that was then, it's even more of a problem now.

"We need to do as much as we can so once we get to level 2 and beyond, hopefully, we can encourage as many people as possible to shop locally, and by charging for parking they're doing the opposite.

"I-Park has been a nightmare, really, since it came in.

"The world has changed and the council needs to change its attitude towards local businesses and the CBD if they want businesses to survive because otherwise, to be frank, businesses won't survive.

"Council needs to do everything it can to bolster and support local businesses.

"Our customers are very supportive of this. Let's have a level playing field. If they don't have to pay to go and shop at Kmart, why should they have to pay to come and shop with us?

"Nobody [in the CBD business community] has been happy with what has happened with i-Park."

I just feel that it is unfair to small businesses who are really struggling to survive."

Comments from Morgan Wilson, owner of Zippy Central

"The current system discourages people from coming into the CBD."

He said a trial of free 2-hour parking in the CBD had been "successful" - "town was humming".

He said CBD business owners were "screaming" for help from the council.

"Rates abatement is a joke. They're not taking a pay cut, they're not cutting rates. It's a farce."

Response

From Rotorua Lakes Council's Operations Group Manager Jocelyn Mikaere:

We agree it is now more crucial than ever for people to be able to easily access businesses in the CBD.

Council's current parking policy is about fair and consistent management of parking to help ensure availability and turnover of car parks for the collective good of all users, and it is a well-used system (see here for information on usage data).

Any change to our current policy would require a decision of Council and would need to be carefully considered.

We have previously trialled free parking in the CBD and then faced the issue of some inner city workers parking all day outside their place of work, or other's businesses, meaning limited available spaces for customers and sparking complaints from businesses.

Our current parking layout provides a good balance of time-limited free parking and paid parking to best manage premium parking space in the CBD. The layout includes a significant portion of free time-limited parking right in the heart of the city. Most of Tutanekai Street and a collection of adjoining streets contain free P60 parking. This is surrounded by a number of free P15 parks which are also aimed at assisting convenience shopping. This allows access to key retail areas for short periods of time and creates turnover and availability of car park spaces for customers.

The provision and maintenance of car parking spaces comes at a cost regardless of whether the parking itself is free. A user-pays' system helps ensure that the activity is primarily funded by those that are actively using it.

While we have been in Alert Level 4 and Level 3, a number of improvements to the system have been made. In Alert Level 2, customers will find the parking machines now have more user friendly on-screen instructions, the Pukuatua Street parking building has been upgraded, the parking app will be launched and some existing all day paid parking areas will become $4 a day parking zones for inner city workers (more information about these changes is available here).

We are continuing to monitor the utilisation of the parking system as part of our continuous improvement approach to parking.