With Whakatāne parking wardens facing increasing abuse, the council is taking steps to introduce licence plate recognition technology that will allow them to do their job from a distance.

Following a decision by the projects and services committee at its meeting last Thursday, Whakatāne District Council has agreed to progress the next stage of introducing the technology for parking enforcement.

The committee supported progressing the proposal through the annual plan process, with staff safety identified as the primary driver for the change.

The technology would be installed in an existing council vehicle and allow parking checks to be carried out from inside the vehicle, rather than on foot.

Manager community regulation Nancy Elliott said parking officers were facing increasing levels of verbal and physical abuse while carrying out their duties.

“Over the past few years there has been a noticeable increase in aggressive behaviour toward parking staff, including incidents serious enough to be reported to police,” Ms Elliott said.

“Our officers already wear body cameras and receive conflict management training; however, they are still regularly exposed to confrontational situations while working on foot near traffic and members of the public. The committee’s decision recognises the need to reduce that risk.”

A recent trial of a licence plate recognition vehicle showed the technology’s potential to significantly reduce the need for foot patrols, limiting direct confrontation and improving staff safety.

Although no infringement fees were issued during the trial, the system demonstrated how enforcement could be carried out more consistently and with less exposure to harm.

The technology would also enable parking officers to spend more time on other compliance and safety-related work, including responding to bylaw issues, abandoned vehicles and public safety concerns.

Ms Elliott said the change would not change parking rules or infringement fees.

“There is no proposal to increase fees. Parking rules remain the same. This is about changing how checks are carried out, not what people are being checked for.”

The committee supported a subscription based model as the preferred option, avoiding a large upfront cost and allowing the council to scale the system as needed.

If funding is confirmed through the annual plan, a public information campaign would be rolled out before the technology is introduced.

“This is about fairness, consistency, and safety,” Ms Elliott said.

“A technology based system applies parking rules evenly, supports access to parking for people visiting town, and helps keep our staff safe while they do their jobs.”

A final decision on implementation will be made through the Annual Plan 2026-27 process.