Driver seeks day in court

An angry Queenstown driver wants his day in court - but the local council is having none of it.

Kevan Thiang battled the Queenstown Lakes District Council over a $12 parking fine on December 3, and won a waiver.

But Mr Thiang, who is Malaysian-born and has lived in the resort for seven years, was so disappointed by the council's attitude he still wanted to take it further.

''I'm not only disappointed, I am angry.''

The parking attendant apparently marked the vehicle at 12.10pm, but Mr Thiang said his car was still parked at home.

Initially, the council said it would not waive the notice, for being parked 30 minutes over the allotted time.

But once he pushed for a court hearing, the council waived the fee and now will not return his emails.

Mr Thiang thinks the response, and its failure to allow him a day in court, is an admission of wrongdoing. He is urging other local people to challenge parking tickets, if they have good reason.

The council refused to be interviewed.

In an emailed statement, principal enforcement officer Anthony Hall said: ''QLDC reviews every parking waiver request on a case-by-case basis. In these circumstances we decided to waive the $12 infringement fee instead of proceeding to court.''

Mr Thiang is still awaiting an apology.