City street parking switches to Pay by Plate from January

There are 400 new Pay by Plate machines in the Central Wellington area, Kelburn and by the Botanic Gardens ki Paekākā; 260 are card-only and 140 are cash and card machines. The new parking system will be live from Wednesday 3 January 2024.  

Pay by Plate is a paperless system that uses the vehicle plate number, rather than a numbered car park, to record the parking time and payment. 

Parking prices will stay the same, from $3 - $5 per hour on weekdays depending on the location, and $3 per hour on weekends.

So what do you need to know to be ready for the switch? 

Tips for smooth parking with Pay by Plate:

• There are two types of new meter – all meters accept PayWave and a third of them also take coins.
• Coin/card meters are the black and yellow rectangular meters that sit on the ground, the card-only meters are on a pole.
• Take a note of your Parking Area, which is on the side of the meter, eg W01. You can ignore the old kerbside numbers – these will be removed in the new year.
• Your active parking session can be used in any parking space until it expires, so long as the vehicle plate number and parking area are the same. If you park in another parking area which has a different ‘W’ (Wellington) number, you’ll need to make a new payment.
• If you need a receipt scan the QR code on-screen, or make a note of your receipt number and enter it at parkingreceipts.wellington.govt.nz to get your e-receipt.
• You can also pay with the PayMyPark app – download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Enter the Parking Area number (which is on the side of the meter, eg W01) to record your location. 

All mobility parks have a meter placed close by for easy access. 

The meters are placed to ensure the maximum height of the screen display is accessible for wheelchair users.

Meter signage and on-screen display have been developed following accessibility guidelines. They are high contrast, large print, and plain language. 

The new meters offer a choice of on-screen instructions in both English and Te Reo Māori. This supports the Council’s move towards being a bilingual city.

The old meters will have electronic components and solar panels removed and re-used or disposed of via an electronics recycling company. The rest of the meter will then be stripped of any other serviceable spare parts for re-use. The batteries will be re-used or safely disposed of. The shell of the meters will be disposed of via a local scrap metal recycler. 

Budget for the new parking meters was allocated in the Long-Term Plan in 2021.

See more about how to pay for Pay by Plate parking.