Waikato University students cried foul about parking tickets issued by Hamilton City Council for parking on berms near campus. Mary Anne Gill finds out what happened after they complained.
Drivers have taken to parking their cars vertically on the berms in May Street. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Students fined for parking on berms in a Hamilton East suburban block were surprised to find $70 refunds in their bank accounts last month.
Hamilton City Council had issued the fines using its license plate recognition (LPR) technology, rather than ticketing vehicles on foot.
Signs like this one in the central business district were not displayed in streets around Waikato University.
The enforcement followed complaints from residents about cars parking on grassed berms – an offence citywide.
Transport head Gordon Naidoo says parking on berms can damage underground assets like cables and pipes, obstruct rubbish collection, and disrupt residents who maintain the berms.
Over the past decade, developers have built multi-unit housing under residential intensification rules, often with limited parking. With those properties came students with cars and nowhere to park them other than on the road.
A recent policy change means developers are no longer required to provide extra parking in these zones, aiming to reduce reliance on private vehicles.
However, many students come from out of town and rely on cars. Waikato University actively markets itself in regions like Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, and Gisborne – areas not well served by public transport. For these students, cars are a lifeline to home.
Waikato University’s Campus Operations and Risk director Lynn Bourne says parking information is shared during orientation.
“This information is provided as a courtesy and is not at the request of Hamilton City Council,” she says.
The Waikato Students’ Union, which describes itself as the students’ voice on campus, did not respond to a request for comment.
Sarah Thomson
Mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson welcomed the refunds, saying she was pleased the enforcement was not a revenue grab. She called for the council to issue warnings first and improve communication with students.
She cited a student who had parked on the berm for nearly three years without issue, only to receive a $70 fine – her entire day’s earnings from a part-time job.
“The fine was a big, unexpected cost and really stressful,” Thomson says.
Naidoo said that’s now the council’s approach. The first LPR sweep in the area issued 88 tickets – 68 for berm parking, mostly on May Street. Thirteen warnings were issued for first offences. A follow-up visit resulted in 16 more fines. All up the fines totalled more than $7000.
May Street is one of the worst offenders. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The LPR car can only issue tickets, not warnings.
Berm tickets are usually issued by a parking warden on foot so the offending can be assessed.
“Council’s approach is always to educate and inform first,” says Naidoo.
“We proactively refunded drivers who had already paid these tickets without disputing the fine and had not already had a previous warning.”
Those with a previous warning for parking on the berm got refunds.
“We acknowledge there is more we can do to educate students directly and are looking at how we can better target those living in the university area,” he says.
Hamilton City Council’s LPR vehicles monitor parking compliance by scanning license plates. The system identifies vehicles parked illegally – on footpaths, cycle lanes, or in no-stopping zones – and integrates with pay-by-plate systems to track parking duration.
More town houses under construction = more cars on berms. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Parking around Waikato University damages the berms. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
