On-street parking
On-street parking is a great option if you're planning a quick visit into Tauranga city centre and are parking for less than 2 hours. Payment for on-street parking is required from 8am-5pm Monday to Friday.
- City centre $2 per hour for the first 2 hours; $5 per additional hour
- City centre fringe $1 per hour for the first 2 hours; max charge of $10
- Free from 5pm - 8am on weekdays
- Free all weekend and on public holidays
City centre fringe parking permit
The city centre fringe parking permit allows permit holders to park in the purple city centre fringe paid zone without paying daily at the machines or via the PayMyPark app. Holding a permit does not guarantee a parking space.
The permit pricing is set at $150 per month, $750 for six months, or $1,500 for a full year, which is less than the cost of paying daily.
Residents within the city centre fringe paid zone are eligible for an 80% discount on a one-year permit, bringing the total cost to $300. Resident discounts are limited to one per property.
Applying for a city centre fringe parking permit
Permits can be purchased within the 'long term permits' section of the PayMyPark app and digitally linked to your licence plate number, with no physical sticker required.
Residents of the city centre fringe zone who wish to apply for a resident discount can do so via the online form with proof of address. If successful, you will receive a discount code via email within 5 working days. Enter your code into the PayMyPark app when purchasing the 12-month city centre fringe parking permit to activate your discount.
Resident discount application form
City centre fringe parking permit terms and conditions (174kb pdf)
Off-street car parks
Off-street car parks and parking buildings are your best option if you’re parking longer than two hours or staying all day. Most off-street parking is $2 per hour for the first two hours, with varying maximum charges for all day parking. Off-street parking is free from 5pm to 6am on weekdays, free all weekend, and on public holidays.
- Cliff Road - 166 all-day spaces, $3.00 per hour, max daily charge of $9.00
- Dive Crescent - 150 all-day spaces, $3.00 per hour - max daily charge of $15.00
- TV3, Wharf Street - 45 all-day spaces, $3.00 per hour, max daily charge of $15.00
- 160-176 Devonport Road - 103 all-day spaces, $3.50 per hour, max daily charge of $15.00
- Haumaru 483 Cameron Road – 170 spaces, $2.00 per hour, max daily charge of $5
- Elizabeth Street parking building - $2.00 per hour, max daily charge of $16
- Spring Street parking building - $2.00 per hour for the first 7 hours, max daily charge of $18.50
View all hourly parking rates
Parking buildings
To help make the parking buildings more inviting, they have had a revamp.
- No more barrier arms
- New licence plate recognition cameras when you enter and exit
- New payment machines
- No more paper tickets, just enter your number plate into the pay machine or use the PayMyPark App
- More lighting
- More CCTV cameras
You are now required to:
- Pay as you enter using the PayMyPark App or
- Pay as you leave via the parking machine
- If you have left the building without paying there is unfortunately no way to back pay. You will need to wait and see if you receive an infringement before you can request a waiver or dispute the ticket.
App Payments
If using the app, payment must be made upon arrival. You'll have two options:
- Pay upfront for the expected duration of your stay.
- If you aren't sure how long you need to park for, you can use the "start-stop" option on the app. This initially charges for a full day, and when you select "stop" upon leaving, the app will refund any unused time back to your PayMyPark account.
If you don't have the app, payment must be made via the machines located on each floor by the lifts when you exit.
Download the PayMyPark App
Cash payments
Cash payments must be made at the pay stations inside the building. They cannot be made at the on-street machines, as these are a different tariff.
Locations include:
Elizabeth Street
- Level 1
- Level 5 (1st Avenue entry)
Spring Street
- Level 3 (Durham Street entry)
- Level 1 (Grey Street entry)
Payment is required 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday. Hourly rates can be found at the parking machines and on the PayMyPark App.
Accessible parking
Use the free app to find accessibility information of hundreds of locations including carparks, playgrounds, council facilities, and local businesses.
Tauranga Access Map
Motorbike parking
There are 17 designated motorcycle parks across the wider Tauranga and Mount Maunganui area. Within the CBD specifically, these are located on Devonport Road, Durham Street, Elizabeth Street, Grey Street (two), Second Avenue, Third Avenue (two), Wharf Street, and Willow Street.
Attachment 7.8 outlines all designated motorcycle parking spaces across the Tauranga area.
For exact locations, please refer to the attachment linked above.
When parking in Tauranga CBD, and on days with less favourable weather, free motorcycle parking is also available in both the Elizabeth Street and Spring Street car parks. While not specifically marked, there are suitable spaces available in the corners of each building, near the bicycle parking areas. You’ll generally find room on most floors in both buildings.
Please note however, that if you choose to park in a formed and marked car park, standard parking fees will apply.
Paying for parking
Full list of parking fees
PayMyPark (app and website)
The PayMyPark app and website can be used for all city centre parking, including the parking buildings. If you prepay through the app, it will send you a notification when your time's almost up, reminding you to extend your parking, if needed, so you can avoid a parking ticket.
Here’s how to get started:
- Download the PayMyPark app for free.
- Set up an account by registering your details.
- Select your parking area.
- Choose to pay for a set time or use the start/stop option.
- Click "buy," and your parking will start
While there are no transaction fees applied to casual payments, account users will be charged a fee when topping up their account. This is due to the way PayMyPark functions across the country. However, account users will be refunded 6% of the credit used in Tauranga at the end of each month (credited to their account).
Download the app for free at the App Store or Google Play or visit the PayMyPark website.
Need help with PayMyPark?
If you have any concerns or questions about using PayMyPark, please contact our parking team. For technical or account support visit PayMyPark
Parking machines
Tauranga parking machines are paperless so they won’t issue you a ticket to display on your dashboard. You will need to enter the licence number for your vehicle at the parking machine, then pay for your parking as usual.
You can pay for your parking with:
- Debit card (including paywave) no transaction fees apply
- Cash at select machines
How to get an electronic parking receipt
When you complete your parking transaction using the paperless machines, you will be asked if you want an e-receipt. If you select 'yes' a QR code will be displayed and an e-receipt code. Take note of the code or scan the QR code. To receive your receipt enter the e-receipt code and your licence plate number at my-receipt.com
The first time you do this, you can choose to register your email address so that all future receipts and transaction details for that plate number will be sent to your email address. You must still select ‘yes’ at the machine when asked if you would like an e-receipt.
Berm Parking
Berm parking is prohibited between Eleventh Avenue and Marsh Street.
Leased parking
If you have any queries about leased parking or would like to apply for a leased car park please email monthlyparking@tauranga.govt.nz
Frequently asked questions
We know everyone would love free parking all the time, however when parking was free, city workers would fill up the spots early, leaving limited spaces for shoppers and visitors. By having paid parking, we make sure there's a steady turnover of car parks, so more people can find a spot when they come into the city. It's all about keeping things fair and accessible for everyone.
We will have parking officers on patrol and use Licence Plate Recognition technology to identify and enforce parking offences.
Yes, all of these are offences and you are likely to receive a parking infringement.
Yes, both the parking machines and PayMyPark App allow you to top up your parking. Additional parking purchased is added onto existing time purchased. You can use the app anywhere and don’t have to be with your vehicle when you make a purchase. You can also use any machine to pay for parking or top up parking as long as it is in the same parking zone as you have parked (e.g. on street, off street, time restricted areas)
These changes will support on-street parking turnover for customers and visitors and encourage commuters to park in in the parking buildings or off-street carparks. Prior initiatives like 2 hours free parking and free after 3 have not improved on-street availability.
We understand that changes to parking can be challenging, and we know it’s been a testing time for businesses in the city centre, New Zealand and the world. This is why previous decisions on this topic have been deferred. But this can’t happen forever as the cost of parking is then shifted to ratepayers and is not user-pays. Our city centre is on the rise, as it continues to undergo a period of transformation, with recent market spend indications positive notwithstanding the winter weather. This follows consistent efforts to attract visitors to the city centre with improved public spaces, events, and activations.
The Draft Parking Strategy was prepared in 2021 as a city-wide strategy. Consultation took place in September and October; background information is available on our Tauranga Parking Strategy web page.
The Parking Management Plan (PMP) was developed following consultation and endorsement of the Tauranga Parking Strategy under the Commissioners. This strategy set out the national policy direction and its related application to parking management in Tauranga. The PMP was approved in 2022 to be implemented in two stages. This stage is the second and has been deferred for the last two years, factoring in both the city centre environment and changes in Council governance.
Residents, business, and other city centre stakeholders were informed of the changes via a combination of letters, emails, and visits. This was supported by digital advertising, and local media have covered this story heavily.
Commissioners decided to end the trial and reinstate paid parking from December 2022. This was because there was no evidence to suggest that subsidising parking was contributing to increased economic activity. We also saw an increase in the amount of city centre workers taking up the spaces all day at the cost of customers.
Yes, payment for on-street parking in the city centre fringe zone is required from 8am-5pm Monday to Friday. Residents within the city centre fringe paid zone are eligible for an 80% discount on a one-year city centre fringe parking permit, bringing the total cost to $300.
We encourage city centre workers to purchase a monthly pass for the parking buildings through the PayMyPark app. For regular commuters this often works out cheaper. There is an option for for organisations to manage their parking payments through the app too. To enquire about availability, contact monthlyparking@tauranga.govt.nz.
The city centre fringe parking permit allows permit holders to park in the purple city fringe paid zone without paying daily at the machines or via the PayMyPark app. Holding a permit does not guarantee a parking space.
The permit pricing is set at $150 per month, $750 for six months, or $1,500 for a full year, which is less than the cost of paying daily.
Council staff and tradespeople are subject to the same fees and enforcement as anyone parking in Tauranga. Their impact on parking availability has greatly reduced since the 2-hour free parking trial ended in 2022. We are working with developers on parking solutions for long-term construction projects.