Read the fine print to help good cause

Stuart Goodman puts a leaflet offering $2500 of surplus revenue to one of three local charities on to a car on The Strand. Photo / Andrew Warner

Helping spread the Christmas cheer in Tauranga this season is an unlikely source - parking wardens.

Tauranga City Council is running a scheme where it is asking people who receive tickets in the central city to vote for one of three local charities, which will receive $2500 from the parking fine revenue. People who do not receive tickets can also vote.

The scheme was the brainchild of council parking and communications staff who wanted to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to the central city, said team leader of bylaws and parking Stuart Goodman.

"We wanted to do something that would make people feel a bit better about parking at Christmas," Mr Goodman said.

"It grew into a bigger picture and we wanted to get the community to choose the charity."

Parking wardens have spent the past two weeks issuing leaflets explaining the parking fines donation, encouraging people to vote between Tauranga Community Foodbank, Good Neighbour Trust, and the Mount, Omanu and Papamoa Surf Life Saving Clubs.

We wanted to do something that would make people feel a bit better about parking at Christmas.

Stuart Goodman, Tauranga City Council bylaws and parking team leader

"We are not here to gather revenue but the account does garner a surplus so because it's coming from the enforcement side of things, we wanted to reach out to our customers. That's anyone who drives a car in or around the central city."

Mr Goodman said the nature of work of parking enforcement meant officers were regularly prone to abuse or negative responses from people while on the job.

"Nobody ever feels nice about receiving a parking ticket so we wanted to try to create a positive feel to the whole parking enforcement."

And it was working.

"All we've had is good feedback which is good, especially with parking. We sort of half expected people to find a negative angle.

"We are really excited, really happy about the feedback. It's just another way we can engage with the community."

Surf Life Saving New Zealand regional manager Chris Emmett said the scheme was "a great idea".

"If they [surf clubs] are successful that's great because they do a lot of community work and they have a really strong focus within the community, not just the Mount."

Tauranga Community Foodbank chairman Alan Plunkett said there was still plenty of need but people had already been generous with donations. The council's donations scheme was a welcome addition.

"The spirit of giving is pretty damn extraordinary in this city at the moment," Mr Plunkett said.