Nelson car park dispute: Woman reserving car park stops mum from watching son’s rugby game

A dispute broke out at a car park in Nelson after a woman refused to move from a parking spot where she was standing for a mother who missed some of her children’s sports game.

The woman was filmed as she attempted to reserve the space while she was surrounded by backed-up cars near Nelson’s Neale Park.

The mother who posted the video and many other families were “desperately” searching for any remaining parking spaces to watch the junior rugby 7s tournament last weekend.

The mother said they had been driving around looking for a park for at least 10 minutes when she pulled out her phone.

“This lady was standing there pretending to be a vehicle, I stopped and asked her if I can park where she’s standing and she ignored me.

“I missed some of my son’s game due to no parking space, how rude.”

The mother said people around her tried to reason with the woman and “almost pushed her to the side”.

“I have never seen something like that in my life before.

“This is unacceptable and the amount of people she ignored before me. There were heaps of people driving past her.”

Bystanders told the mother to drive in and then the woman walked away.

The video was posted on a Nelson community Facebook page and gathered hundreds of comments that were split on whether the woman had committed a social faux pas.

One commenter said: “I would just drive towards her, she’ll move.”

Another commenter said: “I thought we were better at showing our children how to treat our ageing population with basic human decency.

“Sure, what she did was a bit entitled (or maybe desperate) Maybe she was saving a space for someone with mobility issues? Guess we will never know. All I see here is a bunch of ‘adults’ bullying an older woman, in front of a children’s playground. Disgraceful.”

A Ministry of Transport spokesperson said under the Land Transport Rule pedestrians must remain on the footpath at all times if one is provided.

The current infringement fee for this offence is $35.

Group Manager Environmental Management Mandy Bishop said Nelson City Council parking services work within the legislative requirements of the Land Transport Act 1998, The Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004, and the Nelson City Council Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2023.

“There is no section within those three pieces of legislation that prohibits or allows a person to stand on what is legally considered a roadway to reserve a car park.

“I suggest in any situation where someone is creating a dangerous traffic hazard ... avoid confrontation and notify the police.”