Source: Radio New Zealand
Nearly $49 million worth of infringements were issued by Auckland Transport (AT) in 2025. RNZ / Nick Monro
Auckland drivers are being hit with record parking fines, even as the number of tickets being issued has dropped.
New figures obtained by RNZ via the Official Information Act show nearly $49 million worth of infringements were issued by Auckland Transport (AT) in 2025 – a sharp increase from just over $18 million in 2020.
But the rise was not driven by more enforcement. Instead, it was largely the result of higher fines set by central government, alongside a shift in how tickets were issued.
The data showed infringement numbers peaked in 2024 at more than 640,000, before dropping to 581,638 in 2025. Despite that, the total value of fines increased significantly.
According to AT, the jump reflected the first full year of higher nationally set fees, which were introduced in late 2024.
AT said it had no modelling or analysis breaking down how much of the increase was due to higher fees versus changes in behaviour or detection.
“The number of infringements issued declined from 2024 to 2025,” an AT spokesperson said.
“As a result, the increase in the total dollar value of infringements issued in 2025 is attributable to the higher nationally set infringement fees rather than increased issuance or detection,” an AT spokesperson said.
The rise of automated enforcement
There was also a clear shift in how fines were issued.
AT operated a fleet of 25 camera-equipped vehicles, following a major expansion in 2023, when it added an extra 9 vehicles to the fleet.
By 2024, camera cars had issued the majority of tickets, with 385,887 infringements compared to 254,268 from on-foot officers.
That trend continued into 2025. Automated enforcement allowed more vehicles to be checked more quickly, without the need for an officer to be physically present.
Shift in driver behaviour
The type of parking offences Aucklanders commit has also shifted.
Overstaying time limits was historically the most common infringement. But since 2023, paid parking breaches – including not paying or paying incorrectly – had taken over.
Those offences had more than tripled since 2020, becoming the most common type of fine with 154,037 issued last year alone.
Where did the money go?
AT said the nearly $49 million figure represented the value of fines issued, not profit.
The agency collected infringement payments and used that revenue to help fund its work maintaining and improving Auckland’s transport network.
“While Auckland Transport administers the infringement process and collects payments on behalf of the Council, infringement payments are not retained by AT as operational income.
“Once collected, infringement funds are transferred to Auckland Council in accordance with statutory and funding arrangements,” the spokesperson said.
Despite earlier suggestions that some money was passed directly to council, Auckland Transport later clarified that no fixed proportion was directly transferred.
Instead, the income was used to offset the cost of its responsibilities as the city’s road controlling authority.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
