Two years ago New Zealand parking wardens were forced to waive around $2.5 million of fines; last year that increased to over $3 mil.

Obviously, Auckland citizens particularly, the New Zealand public is outraged; hackneyed quotes from years gone by are being unearthed and revered for their timeless brilliance: “Bloody revenue gathering is all it is,” claims one man, obscuring the licence plate of his illegally parked, recently ticketed, vehicle.

“Failed cops, is all that lot are,” asserts another, once the parking warden is safely out of earshot.

The sad thing is few people actually deny parking their vehicle illegally – until it comes time to pay the fine…

Indeed most people are quite aware that once they have overstayed their 180 minute shopping mall car park time limit, or left their car parked half over a driveway because there were just no other spaces, they are in fact committing an offence; they are aware furthermore that there are a lot of other cars in the area for the warden to check through and that’s a whole heap tyres to chalk so the chances of being hit with an infringement are slim.

…Of course the reason for this increase in waived fines likely has less to do with reckless chalking/ticketing of parking wardens and a whole lot more to do with modern New Zealand’s indifference at bullshitting their way out of trouble…

‘To who it may concern,

I am writing in regards to a parking ticket I got issued with by youse guys the other day. I parked my car in a westfield carpark and me and my missus and my kids got out and did some shopping. One of youse guys must of chalked my tyre when I was gone. Then we took the car over to KFC for some lunch. Then I came back and must of parked in the same spot. And the chalk mark must of been in the same spot to. Freaky coincidence ae but I dont think youse should be aloud to charge me cos I wasnt always there.

Thanks for being so cool about it.

Jimmy Holdsworth’

…Because it is just so very easy to lie and anyway, despite illegally parked cars creating millions of dollars worth of lost revenue to business last year, the above scenario’s not that hard to believe.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Elle Eagle-Parker

Photography by Jimmy Holdsworth