Some parking fees to be waived at weekends

IN a bid to aid economic recovery and encourage southerners to ‘‘get out and about and spend’’, Wilson Parking is foregoing weekend parking fees this month.

Chief executive Ryan Orchard said the company operated 500 parking ticket machines across the country, and had partnered with ParkMate to offer the free parking as part of a nationwide ‘‘Pay it Forward’’ campaign.

‘‘We understand that the impact of this year’s recession is still yet to be fully felt, so we wanted to do our part by softening some of that blow as money potentially gets tighter for consumers and businesses.

‘‘We think it’s a winwin for shoppers and the businesses they choose to spend with.’’

It has also been reported the firm is offering discounts on weekday parking in some city centres, to encourage people back into central business districts as retailers continue to struggle with reduced foot traffic.

The free parking would be available at weekends from tomorrow until November 1, and would apply to the majority of its ‘‘nonbarrier arm’’ sites that were linked to the ParkMate app, across Otago and Southland. There were some exceptions. ‘‘The offer is only available in ParkMatecapable Wilson Parking car parks and selected ParkMate car parks,’’ Mr Orchard said.

The offer also excluded ParkMate Host Park sites and a small number of sites that operated using physical barrier arms, because those sites did not connect to ParkMate technology.

‘‘Wilson Parking’s Queenstown sites sit in this category,’’ he said.

Retail New Zealand chief executive Greg Harford said any initiative that encouraged spending with retailers was welcomed.

‘‘We all know how tough this year has been for retailers, so a free parking offer is an affordable and effective way to spur on consumers to get out and shop with businesses in their area.’’ — Additional reporting The New Zealand Herald