Local firm Mainland Parking quietly moves into central Christchurch market

Tuesday, 11 March 2025

A new and locally owned car parking operator whose owner has links to parking giant Wilson Parking has quickly but quietly taken over a chunk of central Christchurch.

But among the delight in seeing a challenger to Wilson Parking Ltd, there is concern that the rise of Mainland Parking, which did not exist a year ago, could meet resistance.

In the last three months Mainland Parking, owned by Wilson Parking’s former South Island manager, Peter Turner, has snapped up about a dozen sites and counting.

His independently owned company entered the market in December when it took over the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch’s car parks on Colombo and Armagh streets from Wilson Parking, just weeks after the council threatened the diocese with enforcement action over its non-compliance.

There are now 11 Mainland Parking sites in central Christchurch, all but one previously operated by Wilson Parking, with several more understood to be on the way.

Turner has not been available for comment but according to Christchurch City Council, Mainland Parking has applied for resource consent for several more sites, two of which are currently operated by Wilson Parking.

Comparing prices charged by the two companies can be tricky as it varies depending on location, demand and maintenance needs, but Mainland Parking is usually a little cheaper, or much cheaper when factoring in Wilson Parking’s 30% mark-up for users paying by machine.

In the case of the car parks which flank The Press building on Gloucester St, one run by Mainland Parking and the other by Wilson Parking division ParkMate, both offer $10 for 12 hours of parking at the weekend or overnight. Mainland Parking charges $1 less for the early bird deal, $1 less per hour, and also has a maximum daily charge of $30 compared to Wilson Parking’s $35.

Mainland Parking also charges $65 for overstaying or other breaches - $20 less than Wilson Parking.

Tim Howe is owner of Central Park, which was previously understood to be the second largest private parking operator in central Christchurch after Wilson Parking, despite only operating 327 of the estimated 6700 privately run spaces as of June.

Far from feeling threatened, Howe said the arrival of Mainland Parking was “a good thing” as it encouraged operators to improve their quality of service.

Howe, an entrepreneur, has been more interested in the parking enforcement technology arm of his business than expanding in Christchurch. He told The Press in June he got a call every week from a car park owner wanting to switch providers, and said on Monday that Mainland Parking’s current clients were likely those same people.

“The city desperately needs private car park offerings,” he said. “We’re supportive of anything that’s going to increase competition and deliver a better offering.”

Labour’s Duncan Webb, the Central Christchurch MP, said he was “not a huge fan” of massive car parks on principle, but has been a vocal critic of Wilson Parking and said he also believed a new player would improve car park standards overall.

However, he did not expect Wilson Parking to let go of so much business so easily.

“I’d be watching very carefully to see whether there’s any kind of misbehaviour by Wilson,” he said.

Central Christchurch councillor Jake McLellan said he also welcomed competition and hoped it would lead to lower prices, but was more interested in seeing temporary car parking sites developed for other permanent uses.

Wilson Parking was approached for comment.