'Town is dead': Rotorua businesses look to leave CBD after parking changes

One Rotorua retailer has already left the CBD and another says he is looking for a way out, blaming a <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/02/10/rotorua-could-axe-coin-payments-as-it-reviews-city-parking/">controversial parking overhaul</a> they say is driving customers away. <b>By Mathew Nash of Local Democracy Reporting</b> The <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/07/10/rotorua-lakes-council-takes-back-control-of-parking-services/">Rotorua Lakes Counci</a><a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/07/10/rotorua-lakes-council-takes-back-control-of-parking-services/">l</a> is seeking public feedback on the parking system it <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/07/01/rotorua-shop-owner-fears-new-parking-rules-will-drive-customers-away/">introduced on July 1.</a> Changes included new paid areas, permit-only parking, virtual parking meters, updated machines, revised parking zones and a requirement for motorists to register their licence plate to access a first free hour of parking. The council said the <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/03/what-tauranga-rotorua-councils-earn-and-pay-for-parking/">overhaul</a> was designed to improve turnover and make it easier for people to find a park close to shops and businesses. Feedback so far had been "mixed". For former Hinemoa St business owner Crystal McPhee, the impact of the new system was felt almost immediately.