Parking spaces returned to Church Street on Tuesday are being well-used, according to Ōpōtiki Four Square owner Lance Paltridge.

“Since they put the parking spaces in, all the time I have been there, the parks have been utilised,” he said.

“It just goes to show that they were needed. It’s good to see that the council have listened to people.”

Paltridge said the new parking spaces were intended to be 15-minute parking.

Ōpōtiki District Council removed the parking spaces two years ago as part of a town centre revitalisation project.

With the aim of creating a pedestrian-friendly town centre, the Church Street improvements included a raised hump with a paving stone surface to slow traffic.

Ten large boulders were placed where six parking spaces had been, to act as bollards.

While some people appreciated the safer, more accessible and aesthetically pleasing town centre, the boulders have been the subject of much complaint in the community, including from shop owners whose customers use the parks.

Paltridge commented that a number of people were parking on the footpaths rather than using the car park behind the shops, just a minute or two walk away, particularly during wet weather.

The council has listened and removed the rocks from the eastern side of the road.

The rocks will be repurposed for the jetty extension project, where bollards are needed to prevent vehicles from driving onto the wharf.

The five rocks on the other side of the road, in front of the public toilets, are being repositioned to create more parking space.

“While some have come to appreciate the Church Street boulders for both their appearance and their purpose, they were intentionally not permanently fixed in place so their effectiveness and community feedback could be assessed over time,” a council spokesperson said.

“Council continues to welcome feedback as we turn our attention to future town revitalisation work through the upcoming long-term plan. Once we hit consultation phase in early 2027, we will share the details of that with the community.”

Mayor David Moore said Ōpōtiki did not have an issue with a lack of parking. However, what he would like to look at long term was to have some of the area made available for mobility and short-term parking.

“Especially outside the toilets and for people who are genuinely wanting to just access the money machines. There is a lot more mobility parking already than a lot of people realise, but more is always better.”