The Waitaki District Council is now "exploring the possibility" of introducing payments for 179 free-parking spots in Wansbeck St, between Tyne St and Holme’s Wharf (including the farmers’ market and Scott’s Brewery carparks), the whole of the Humber St off-street carpark, the Waterfront Rd Oamaru Penguins off-street carpark and Itchen St on-street parks between Tees and Wharfe Sts.
South Hill resident Graham Hiscoke was shocked at the proposal when he received an email from the council showing the extent of the changes under consideration.
He expressed concern that the area includes a playground and the penguin colony.
"It’s not on," he told the Oamaru Mail.
"What if the mother with three or four kids on school holidays goes down there on a sunny day so the kids can play on the playground for three or four hours, and they have to turn around and pay parking meters."
He was also concerned the council email only seemed to be addressed to local CBD businesses.
"The whole district needs to know about this."
A Waitaki District Council spokesperson said that during the May 27, 2025, public meeting of the council, the then mayor and councillors approved the replacement of the town’s parking meters.
"As part of this decision, the addition of off- and on-street parking in some areas was approved — subject to a final approval by the council.
"A consultation with the community is getting under way, and we’ve contacted local businesses close to these areas first to allow them to share their feedback with our team.
"Next month, a wider consultation will launch about these proposed changes for the wider community. As we said to the businesses, no decisions have been made, no preferred options have been identified. We are looking for community feedback early.
"The community feedback will then be provided to the newly elected mayor and councillors before they make final decisions about parking."
