A customer of more than a decade is finding elsewhere to get their cinema fix due to the paid parking charges in Downtown Tauranga.

Two weeks ago Mount Maunganui resident Carol Etherington wrote to The Weekend Sun’s editor announcing that “enough is enough” with the paid parking in CBD.

Catching up with Carol, she says it was midday on a Tuesday last month when she saw an “unusually long movie” at Rialto Cinemas, and paid $12 to cover her parking.

That’s just $2 less than her $14 senior’s movie ticket cost.

A ‘classy’ spot

“I’ve been going to the Rialto Cinema I’d say for 12 years,” says Carol

. “I don’t go anymore because of the parking, but I used to go about three times a week.”

She describes the Rialto Cinema as a “lovely” place to watch a movie.

“It’s an arthouse cinema and I think its classy to have [that]…you can see nice movies, Italian Film Festivals, French Film Festivals, and all of those more cultured movies and operas.”

When the paid parking charges came into effect in the CBD last year, Carol says she’d strategically choose movies less than two hours – putting in $4 at the parking metre.

“I mean I’ve had both knees replaced, and it’s not easy for me to run back to the car…you just get in [the cinema] and you get out so you can get back to your car, and not incur a parking fine. So you know, the poor Rialto – it’s suffering.

“I would like to sit and have lunch, and meet somebody before a movie but that’s impossible now.”

Carol says instead she will be going to Tivoli Cinema Pāpāmoa to curb the CBD’s paid parking charges. “I’ll be driving a little further to Pāpāmoa and enjoy a movie plus free parking.”

Destination cinema

In response, The Weekend Sun reached out to Rialto Cinema, to see how the business has been faring since the reintroduction of paid parking last year.

“The biggest effect is on our staff,” says Rod Taylor, who took over ownership of the cinema three months ago.

“They’re really struggling. They’re not overly high paid people, so having to pay for parking is certainly effecting them.”

With the likes of cinemas located at Bayfair and Tauranga Crossing with free parking, Rod says he hopes customers see his business as a destination cinema.

“We’ve got a slightly different market and we do a lot more arthouse-type movies, but yeah it does make it difficult [to compete], but I’m not quite sure what the solution is.”

Enticing customers

Carol says when she lived in Canberra cinema customers could validate their parking and receive a discount. She suggests the same should happen in the CBD.

“Support the cinemas. Give them half-price parking or something like that.”

The Sun asked Tauranga City Council whether it would consider such an incentive to encourage people to the city.

TCC parking strategy manager Reece Wilkinson says: “There are no current plans for council to offer parking discounts for people visiting the Rialto Cinema or any other city centre business as ultimately that cost burden would sit with the ratepayer and we don’t feel that is the best use of ratepayer money right now”.

Nonetheless, Rod says he’s here to stay with the Rialto Cinema and has a positive outlook for his business, which is currently getting a makeover.

“I’m pretty keen to help retail and put my money where my mouth is, so although Tauranga is struggling right at that moment – I can see the signs of growth,” says Rod.

“We’re here for the long-term and we want to be here when the city comes back to life, which I think it will do.”