IOII.002 Good As Gold

In meeting the mandate of what might be considered his primary constituency, Rt Hon Winston Peters introduced the SuperGold card in November 2006, offering free discounts and concessions to all New Zealanders aged 65 and over, or receiving NZ Superannuation or a Veteran’s Pension. According to its website, it is “Super convenient.”

One of the most visible outcomes of the card at a local level has been the introduction of free parking in New Plymouth District Council car parks, up until 11am on all metered days (Monday to Saturday).

It’s a great initiative, targeted at a group of residents who (and I generalise here) are on fixed incomes and may not have the funds for parking meters or the (again, I generalise) mobility to park in the outlying free car parks and walk in to the shops they need to visit.

It’s also a generous concession on the part of the council, whose holistic approach to CBD parking tends to be on lifting cost to shift behaviour towards greater uptake of shared and sustainable transport, and to discourage long-term parking in centralised metered spots.

It could also be noted that the most vocal opponents to council spending has in recent years been the Grey Power lobby. One could suppose that retirement frees up time to keep a closer eye on the council, its happenings and spending, and that a fixed income provides the inclination.

But when it comes to CBD accessibility, are we putting all our eggs in one basket, and is this the wrong basket?

I'd liek to propse that a similar privilege is afforded to new mothers. If the over 65s are permitted free parking presumably on the virtues of fixed income and mobility challenges, then surely mothers with a child or children under say 3 and requiring push chair support also tick this box.

Some businesses are already cottoning on to the challenges faced by mothers, and the value. Main street retailers should be embracing this with open arms. Whereas conventional wisdom asserts that retired people generally spend less, this isn’t an option with small children, whose insatiable thirst for nappies and knowledge, and equally high turnover of clothing, requires constant investment.

Working parents might protest, but they have the comparative luxury of a dual income, and based on a day-care model, are unencumbered by the challenges of moving everywhere with small children during retail hours.

SuperGold cardholders might protest, fearing competition for their free parks, and an erosion of their exclusive SuperGold privileges and status as sole deservers of those privileges. And the Council too, might protest, fearing the loss of an income stream. But a cursory glance down our main street this morning would suggest extending this to another group of our community who are facing a challenge won’t rock the boat too much.

The majority of parks are empty, with passenger vehicles being well outnumbered by corporate and delivery vehicles. As the urban areas of the world search for the answers to the perennial question of what makes a city attractive for lifestyle and investment, the time might well have come for a family-friendly initiative like this.

Oh and look, it's local government election year.