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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Mobility parking permit holder Derek Cossey was incorrectly issued fines, revealing a bigger issue
By Tara Shaskey, Open Justice multimedia journalist of Derek Cossey has had one of his fines overturned, but has not received a response from Auckland Transport about a second one. Photo: Sylvie Whinray / NZME Derek Cossey has "old rugby player knees", which significantly limit his mobility. A small relief for the 67-year-old Onehunga man is his parking permit, which - when displayed in his vehicle - allows him to park in dedicated mobility spaces or for double the time shown on time-restricted carparks in Auckland's on-street parking areas. Recently, he has received two infringement notices from Auckland Transport (AT), because its new automatic number plate recognition technology, used for parking enforcement, does not recognise mobility permits. He is not alone. It is a "big issue" and one that "greatly concerns" CCS Disability Action, the primary provider of about 180,000 permits. BJ Clark of CCS Disability Action said other councils also used the technology and he had been contacted by up to 30 permitholders nationwide, who had been incorrectly fined. Clark said CCS was not consulted before AT launched the technology and the service was "desperately" trying to find a solution for its permitholders. AT has recognised the issue and said it was also trying to find a solution. For Cossey, the situation has been extremely frustrating. Last year, he received a fine by post for exceeding the displayed time restriction in an on-street carpark. However, his permit allowed him double the displayed time and he had moved on before that time was up. He managed to have the fine overturned, but said it was not easy. "It must have taken me 4-6 emails backwards and forwards to get them to quash the ticket. "On top of that, it was like they were reprimanding me and saying 'We'll do that in this instance'." Then he got another ticket in the same circumstances more recently. He has yet to have it overturned. Emails, seen by NZME, to Auckland Transport about the ticket went unanswered and the matter was referred to debt collection agency Baycorp. CCS Disability Action issues about 180,000 mobility parking permits nationwide. Photo: Sylvie Whinray / NZME Cossey had to explain the situation to Baycorp and hoped to get that issue resolved. "I've had to go through the wringer." He was concerned about AT's lack of communication in his case, saying he had asked what it was doing to resolve the parking permit issue, but had not received a response. "They never come back and say, 'Look, we're really sorry that this has happened. We didn't think about it in the first place, but we're trying to find a way around it'. None of that. "It's just ignorance. They're a law unto themselves, it's so frustrating to deal with them." Clark said AT launched the technology without consultation with CCS Disability Action. "The first thing we knew about it was when this problem started. It is a big issue and one that concerns us greatly. "I'm intrigued by how the council gets away with issuing a ticket to a person who is legitimately parked. It seems to me a little bit strange." The service has since met AT, but Clark said an agreeable solution had not yet been found. AT's solution of registering number plates against a permit was less than ideal, he said. Parking services group manager John Strawbridge said Auckland Transport was working on a solution to the mobility parking problem. Photo: Chris Gorman / NZME "That sounds like a good way to solve the issue, but from our point of view, it's not. "We issue a permit to a person, not a vehicle number plate, and we don't want people to be able to have more than one vehicle being permitted to use that one permit. "It opens up the system to abuse." Clark said registering vehicles could also pose a problem for older permitholders, who might not remember to use the right vehicles, if they had multiple registered vehicles. Permitholders visiting Auckland might not be recognised. "It restricts the ability for people to use the permit in the way that we give it out," Clark said. "That is, it shouldn't be controlled to one vehicle, it should be controlled to wherever that person is." The service made other suggestions to AT, like rolling out permits that a mounted device on the council's vehicles could scan, but Clark said that method would need to be developed and there were questions about who would bear the costs. "We are desperately trying to find a solution." AT, which launched the technology in 2019, recognised it was a "complicated situation". John Strawbridge, its group manager of parking services, said: "Our preference is to manage mobility spaces by a parking officer, on foot, so that they can sight whether a vehicle has a current mobility permit displayed. "Sometimes the permits are hard to spot. "However, our camera cars also issue fines to vehicles parked in a mobility spot, with or without a permit, as we do not have access to digital data on active permits." The issue was that the permit was for a person, not a vehicle, and the person could ride in multiple vehicles. "We know this isn't a great experience for mobility permitholders and we encourage anyone who has received a fine in error to contact us to see if it warrants being waived." Strawbridge said AT was working on a solution that would allow Auckland permitholders to apply for a digital permit through AT's Park app. The e-permit would enable people to add all vehicles they intended to use to the AT Park app and switch between them. AT has also sought access to the CCS database to confirm active permits. "Our proposed solution will address many of the challenges experienced by permitholders and, when it's ready to be rolled out, we will be reaching out to them to provide more information. "There may be some more improvements needed and we are committed to making continuous improvements." AT confirmed the first of Cossey's fines was waived, but maintained it had not received any correspondence from him on the second. However, after "a bit more digging", it found his emails. It said it would review the matter and respond directly to Cossey. -This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
US refuses to budge on 15 percent trade tariff imposed on NZ
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay says President Trump's 15 percent trade tariff on New Zealand will be harmful. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Trade Minister Todd McClay has spoken with the United States trade representative to make the case against increased tariffs, but Jamieson Greer appears unlikely to budge. On Friday, the US announced a new 15 percent tariff on exporters , which McClay called a "blunt tool". Speaking to delegates at the National Party conference in Christchurch, McClay said he spoke to Greer on Saturday morning. "I made the case that it is not reasonable and it should not be happening to New Zealand, and it is going to be harmful for some of our exporters, and we would ask them to look at that and reconsider it," he said. However, Greer had made it clear that President Donald Trump had made a decision, if a country had a trade deficit with the United States, it would be hit with the 15 percent tariff, wherever they were. Top trade diplomat Vangelis Vitalis will travel to Washington on Sunday, while McClay intended visiting in coming weeks. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand had underscored it did not believe tariffs were good for the world economy. "The reality is, as a small trading nation, our job is get out there and hustle, and create opportunities for New Zealand businesses," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
PM wants NZ to get behind development, progress, stem tide of Kiwis leaving for Oz
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses 550 delegates at the annual National Party conference in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Giles Dexter National leader Christopher Luxon has told the party's annual conference that the country needs to "say yes" more. Addressing about 550 delegates, MPs and supporters at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch, Luxon bemoaned "activists" who opposed housing developments, agriculture, cruise ships and mines. "If we're serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can't afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way." Opposition parties have heavily criticised the government for its economic policies and laid the blame at its feet for the 30,000 New Zealanders who moved to Australia last year, but Luxon said the opposition would make it worse. "Take a look at Australia," he said. "If they shut down their mining industry or their energy industry tomorrow, as Labour and the Greens want to do here, I guarantee you would see fewer Kiwis moving across the ditch." Luxon's speech came hot on the heels of an announcement from the United States that it would increase tariffs to 15 percent. Still digesting the announcement and what it would mean for New Zealand exporters, Luxon acknowledged "challenging" global conditions. "We can't just batten down the hatches and hope for the best," he said. Luxon's speech made no mention of National's coalition partners, New Zealand First or ACT, or even the word 'coalition' itself, although deputy Nicola Willis acknowledged the "energy" it took to keep Winston Peters and David Seymour under control. Instead, Luxon's speech was heavy on shoutouts to his National ministers and their policies, and also on blaming the previous government for the cost-of-living struggles New Zealanders currently faced. "In the years to come, immediate action on the cost of living isn't enough," he said. "The last government spent billions of dollars in failed handouts, only to watch inflation roar and the economy falter. "We have to keep our eyes on the prize." Echoing his speech at Monday's post-cabinet press conference, Luxon leaned on the economic policies the government had introduced, such as tax changes, FamilyBoost and the removal of the Auckland Fuel Tax. "We're doing what we can," he said. The speech contained an announcement the government would make it easier to get a concession on Department of Conservation land . "That means more certainty for businesses, less bureaucracy and much faster decisions, so the businesses that should be operating can get up and running." There would still be restrictions on some parts of the DOC estate. "Where it does make sense, we need to get to the 'yes' much faster - instead of being bogged down in process and uncertainty," Luxon said. Charges of $20-40 for foreign visitors to high-volume sites like Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound, and Aoraki Mount Cook were being introduced, but New Zealanders would be exempt from the fees. Party president Sylvia Wood, who was re-elected at the conference, said the party would select candidates for the 2026 election shortly. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
