Police will now be charged when parking unmarked cars in metered council spaces in Wellington when they aren't attending emergency calls.
A police spokesperson says an exemption still exists when police park cars on meters in emergency situations. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Police cars had an exemption from payment from the council until last February, when the Wellington City Council decided it would start charging unmarked cars.
That was put off until this week as the council and police had further discussions about the move.
They have now come up with a way for staff to pay for parking without it coming out of their own pocket.
A council spokesperson said the move was part of its review of parking policy, which also included a ban on parking vehicles on footpaths.
The spokesperson said the move was about encouraging car parking turnover in the CBD, so local retailers and businesses were kept happy.
A police spokesperson said an exemption still existed in emergency situations and for all marked vehicles.
Officers or police staff will be able to use a text system, a police credit card or a personal payment option which will be charged back to the police.