Gus and Keith recently sent the below message to all staff, inviting feedback on a proposed plan for parking, which would come into effect 01 January 2023.
Proposed change in parking: For consultation
Kia ora koutou
As our Mt Albert campus has become more condensed, the number of carparks has reduced, so we have developed a proposal for our car parking and invite your feedback on that plan.
Land sales resulting in a condensed Mt Albert campus
Over the past few years, as we consolidated our Mt Albert campus and paid off our debts, we’ve sold blocks of Unitec land to the Government, via the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD).
The end result will be the development of thousands of new whare for whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau, and a more condensed Mt Albert campus for us. This will enable us to not only clear our Crown loan, but also to focus our efforts and resources on a smaller, more modern campus rather than continuing to spend large amounts on aging facilities.
Unfortunately, one of the impacts of our smaller campus is a decrease in the number of carparks available to staff, ākonga and visitors at Unitec. In total there will be a decrease of almost 400 carparks by November 2022, when we will no longer have use of the Southern Carpark.
Managing car parking demand
Parking has become a precious commodity in Tāmaki Makaurau as demand for land has intensified, so we are planning how to manage demand for our car parks.
Along with promoting a range of travel options, we’re proposing the introduction of the following initiatives:
- Payment on all parking spaces
- Making all parking available to both staff and students, that is, no allocated staff car parks
- Pricing kept at a very low rate, so it is affordable for staff and students
- Raising the fee at Waitakere campus by $1 a day to help cover the increased costs Unitec is charged for the parking
The changes proposed would come into effect next year from Semester 1, 2023.
Details of the proposed new prices at both our campuses are as follows:
For more information on the proposed changes, please read the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Alternative travel options
In line with the promotion of more environmentally-friendly travel options and to reduce demand on car parking, we’ve explored public transport options and will continue to share these options with you on Te Aka, our website and other channels.
For the bike riders among us, we have plenty of bike racks and showers, plus our ‘locky dock’ racks for e-bikes. We’re also looking for deals on e-bikes and e-scooters.
Our Flexible Working Guidelines allow teams to explore different flexi-work options and arrangements that work for everyone, which will help to ease pressure on car parks. However, we do understand that for some staff, driving to work is the best option. For those people, an exciting addition to our transport offering is our new ‘Uniwaka’ ride share app for staff and students, trialing now.
Feedback process
We invite feedback on this proposal through our feedback form by Friday 05 August 2022.
Following the feedback period, we’ll provide staff, ākonga and the wider Unitec whānau with more detailed information on our updated parking policy, maps and changes.
Thank you for your understanding as we navigate this next stage of our campus development. We look forward to your feedback.
Ngā mihi
Gus Gilmore and Keith Ikin
Carpark proposal Frequently Asked Questions…
1. Why are we reviewing parking prices and our policy?
Unitec currently has access to more than1500 carparks, located at our Mt Albert and Waitākere campuses, with varying payment methods including free parking, Pay & Display, and Pay by App. Unitec parking spaces are reducing at the Mt Albert campus. Aligning prices for all user groups will encourage staff and students to carefully consider the transport options for their commute and help manage demand.
Unitec’s existing Parking Policy states that we “may, from time to time, determine parking fees.” In order to promote other methods of transport to and from Unitec Campuses and to provide revenue for ongoing and future parking maintenance and sustainability initiatives, we have determined that parking fees need to be reviewed and aligned for all staff and students across the network.
2. Who can use Unitec carparks?
Unitec carparks are for staff and student use only (including visitors); they are not available to the public.
With increasing work occurring in the surrounding housing development, we will monitor carparks to ensure that only Unitec staff, students and visitors will use the carparks and not staff from other organisations.
3. What are my parking options at Mt Albert Campus?
The map below shows the carparking that will be available from November 2022 at our Mt Albert Campus. A portion of these (500) will be leased from MHUD on an ongoing basis. These carparks may change from time to time as different bodies of work become operational across the housing development projects. We will provide regular updates to keep staff and students informed of any parking location changes.
4. What are my parking options at Waitākere Campus?
Our Waitākere Campus will continue to use the Building 530 multi-storey parking building. Staff and students will continue to have access to this building at a concession rate (compared to the public rate). This will also increase from $3 to $4 per day, to assist in covering the increase in Auckland Transport’s on-charge for the parking provision to Unitec.
5. Will there still be designated carparking for staff?
There will no longer be allocated staff parking. In acknowledgement of our Te Noho Kotahitanga values, and our commitment to always putting our students at the heart of every decision, it is proposed that all parking is available to both staff and students.
6. What other options are available to me for getting to and from work?
In addition, there are other parking and transport options such as:
- Carpooling
- Biking and walking
- Street parking
- Parkopedia is a great website to look at to see other parks in any area that you can combine with walking and public transport.
- Trains/Buses: Direct public transport routes to Mt Albert campus: Did you know that Mt Albert campus has a direct train or bus route to 18 suburbs across our rohe?
Last year, our sustainability team mapped those routes out, including the stops on surrounding roads and pedestrian links into our core campus. Click here to see the campus transport network map.
7. Will rates increase in the future?
Unitec’s existing Traffic Safety and Parking Policy states that we “may, from time to time, determine parking fees.” It is envisioned that parking fees will be reviewed periodically to align with the ever-changing factors at play.
8. Will enforcement of parking increase?
Our current towing and clamping enforcement is detailed in schedule 1 of our Traffic Safety and Parking Policy. We will be looking at options for either a technology solution to this issue (such as number plate recognition), external party involvement, or a combination of the two as our current enforcement process is labour-heavy. Our intention is to ensure cars parked onsite are entitled to be there and are paying for their parking. It is important given the geographical spread of carparks, that we make this as seamless as possible for users and enforcers.
9. Will new carparks be provided in the future?
At this stage, there are no concrete plans for new carparks. Our Infrastructure and Commercial teams are working on the consolidation of our Mt Albert campus. From here, Unitec will be in a great position to right-size our operation and look to the future in terms of our long-term maintenance plans, building upgrades, and potential carpark options.
10. What will revenue from the carparking charges be used for?
Currently, revenue from our carpark collection does not cover the financial obligations of having carparks at Mt Albert campus, but does contribute to the costs at Waitākere. Revenue will be used to ensure ongoing maintenance of carparks, taking into account the increased usage of these as we consolidate our campus. As well as this, we intend to divert more funds towards sustainability options that encourage other commute options, such as end of trip facilities for bikers, ride sharing initiatives etc.