Meter fairies' wings clipped

Valen Pirret (left) and Kelly Douglas will have to top up meters around the streets of Rotorua without their rollerblades. Picture / Alan Gibson

'Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through Rotorua, two Meter Fairies were thrilling shoppers by randomly topping up parking meters.

When out on the streets there arose such a clatter, and up came the council wielding section 34 of Rotorua's traffic bylaw.'

Valen Pirret and Kelly Douglas, it transpired, had broken the cardinal rule by wearing rollerblades to ensure they got to the expired meters before the inspectors.

So from yesterday the fairies' wings were clipped - and they will have to perform their small seasonal mercies on foot instead.

Terry Wheeler, director of the interior design company Colour Concepts, which hired the girls, said he had not known rollerblades were part of the ban, which initially applied to skateboarders only.

Mr Wheeler said he would try to get a dispensation for the rollerblades next year.

"The council has been good about it, and hopefully we can sort it out for next year. You can't really compare two young ladies who are fantastic rollerbladers, behaving themselves, to a whole group of kids rampaging through the streets on skateboards."

Dennis Olliver, manager of council body City Focus, said he had been asked why the girls were allowed to rollerblade while others were not.

"That was why I suggested in all fairness to everyone he would have to curtail the operation.

"They added colour to the streets but unfortunately we have to abide by the bylaws we set."

Mr Olliver said it was possible to apply for dispensation and it was given for things such as the Santa Parade "because it adds colour and is a community kind of thing".

However, he pointed out that unlike rollerblades, local government was "not the speediest vehicle in the world" and the application for dispensation would take time.

Mr Wheeler said he had seen the idea elsewhere and decided he would put about $500 of coins into meters.

"I'm terrible, I get loads of parking tickets. So I thought this would lift pressure off people."

The tradition is long standing in some regions where, unlike Auckland, such altruism does not leave the provider facing bankruptcy.

In Hastings, "Sven the Hastings Parking Fairy", an initiative of Mainstreets Hastings and Radio Network, has been topping up meters in the run up to Christmas since 1999.

Napier took the practice up in 2002 and in Tauranga, Meter Maids have been putting coins in parking meters during stressful festive times such as Christmas since 2001.