Carparks and Pay-by-Plate Meters
Public carparks
Buxton Square car park
Pay-by-Plate meters can be found at the Collingwood and Bridge Street entrances and either side of the toilet block. Other facilities include a public toilet.
Charging hours | Max. Parking | Entrance | Spaces | Mobility Parks |
Mon-Fri | 3 hours | Bridge St & Collingwood St | 329 | 5 |
Millers Acre car park
Pay-by-Plate meters can be found in the centre of the carpark. Other facilities include a public toilet, Information Centre and Bus Depot.
Charging hours | Max. Parking | Entrance | Spaces | Mobility Parks |
Mon-Fri | 3 hours | Halifax Street | 92 | 2 |
Montgomery Square car park
Nelson Saturday Market takes place on Saturday from 6am to 1pm. If parking in Montgomery over Friday night, please use parks on the outer edge. Otherwise, Council will organise the removal of your vehicle to an exterior space.
Pay-by-Plate meters can be found at the Bridge, Rutherford and Hardy Street entrances as well as either end of the public toilet. Other facilities include a public toilet.
Charging hours | Max. Parking | Entrance | Spaces | Mobility Parks |
Mon-Fri | 3 hours | Bridge St, Hardy and Rutherford St | 329 | 4 |
Wakatu Square car park
Pay-by-Plate meters can be found at the Rutherford Street and Wakatu Lane entrances as well as two in the centre of carpark. Other facilities include a bus depot.
Charging hours | Max. Parking | Entrance | Spaces | Mobility Parks |
Mon-Fri | All day (centre parks) | Rutherford St and Trafalgar St | 145 | 3 |
Other locations to park
Alternate parking areas all day at no charge
- Hathaway Terrace/Trafalgar Park
- Grove Street
- Collingwood Street
- Nile St West
- Kerr Street
- Gloucester Street (some restricted parking at Hardy St end)
Reserved areas for licence to occupy long-term car parking
- Bridge St Car park $78.00 per month plus GST
- Tasman Street Car park $110.50 plus GST per month
Locations that you cannot use to park
If you park in any of the following areas, you risk being fined and/or having your vehicle towed away. From time-to-time parking may not be available due to events such as parades.
- On the right-hand side of the road except in a one-way street.
- Where it will be in the way of other people using the street.
- Near a corner, curve, hill, traffic island or intersection, if it will stop other people from seeing along the road.
- On any footpath.
- On, or closer than 6 metres to an intersection, unless there are parking spaces or a notice telling you that you can park there.
- On, or closer than 6 metres to the approach side of a pedestrian crossing.
- On a marked bus stop or taxi stand or loading zone — goods vehicles only.
- Closer than 6 metres to a bus stop marked only by a sign.
- In front of or closer than 1 metre, to a vehicle entrance.
- Alongside another parked vehicle – i.e. you must not double park.
- On broken yellow lines – within 1 metre of the kerb. You may see these near pedestrian crossings, intersections, driveways or narrow roads
- On, or closer than 0.5 metres, to a fire hydrant, or between the fire hydrant and footpath, unless somebody who can move the vehicle stays with it.
Parking meter hours and time limits
Parking meters are found on many streets in the CBD. The first hour of parking is free as long as you enter your car’s registration number in the pay-by-plate meter.
Vehicles may only use their 1 hour free once per day, but that hour can be split into 15-minute increments.
Parking meter hours
8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday
9.00am to 1.00pm Saturday
Except public/statutory holidays.
Parking time limits
Signs with white lettering on a blue background with a P at the top indicate the time restriction in minutes. (P5, P60, P120 are the standard restrictions in Nelson). Vehicles are ticketed for the length of time they exceed the time limit. Any infringement fee depends on the length of time the vehicle was parked over the time limit. A vehicle must leave the time limit area completely once the time limit has been exceeded.
Hours the parking time limits apply
Monday – Friday 8am–5pm and Saturday 9am–1pm except for public holidays or as otherwise stated on signs.
Temporary parking permits for contractors working in CBD
A parking permit is a pre-paid carpark permit that a contractor working within the CBD can obtain to allow them to park longer than the maximum time. Council’s parking team needs to know the purpose for which the permit will be used. Application forms need to be completed and approved by Council’s Customer Service Centre. Vehicles that receive an approved permit have their registration white-listed in Council’s enforcement database for the time that the permit applies.
- Permit cost per day: $10.00
- Permit cost per half-day $5.00
