Hamilton wardens resort to parking cameras as too many schools to patrol

Monday, 27 July 2026

There are too many schools in Hamilton for parking wardens to monitor, Hamilton City Council bosses say.

The admission gives further impetus for Hamilton City councillor Graeme Mead’s push to include a citywide approach to safety around school gates in the upcoming Long Term Plan process.

Responding to questions from the Waikato Times on why the council could not enforce bad parking behaviour at the school gate, the city’s urban transport manager Martin Parkes points out there are more than 70 schools across Hamilton.

“The council does not have the resources to provide a dedicated parking officer at every school during peak drop-off and pick-up periods.

“Our parking enforcement team has a wide range of responsibilities across the city, including responding to safety concerns, enforcing parking restrictions in high-demand areas, managing compliance, investigating complaints, and supporting traffic and parking management activities.

“Council is looking into trialling fixed parking enforcement cameras in some school areas to help address issues such as parking on yellow no-stopping lines, blocking crossings or footpaths, and overstaying time limits. This solution was proposed as part of all four options in the recent Peachgrove Road, Wilson Street to Frances Street community consultation.

“Enforcement plays an important role in promoting safe and lawful parking, but it is not the only answer.

“Long-term improvements in safety require a mix of education, engineering, enforcement, and community cooperation.

“Our focus is on improving safety and encouraging better parking behaviour, rather than issuing more fines.

The issue is further complicated by overlapping areas of responsibility.

Ministry of Education chief executive for school property Gus Gilmore says school boards are responsible for managing health and safety risks at their schools but not on the roads outside the gates.

“Where a health and safety concern is identified on school grounds, schools can work through their property planning processes, including obtaining specialist advice where needed, to determine what improvements may be required.

“Eligible capital property works can be funded through a school's Five Year Agreement (5YA) property funding allocation.

“Traffic and road safety measures on public roads outside school boundaries are generally matters for the relevant road controlling authority.

“The Ministry works closely with schools and other agencies where appropriate, but decisions on local road and traffic management sit with those responsible for the transport network.’’

Mead believes the council needs to urgently shift from a site‑by‑site, project‑by‑project approach to a total, citywide strategy.

“We cannot keep relying on isolated fixes, one intersection at a time, one consultation at a time, one redesign at a time and expect driver behaviour to change.

“The current pattern of engineering our way out of the problem, piece by piece, is not delivering safer outcomes for children across the city. Its just not achieving city wide safety and I believe we need a total change in direction and approach.’’