An emergency's about to cost Christchurch residents a lot more in parking

From today, new parking charges come into force at the Waipapa building -- the first 30 minutes are free, but two hours of parking will cost you $17.50.

Canterbury DHB's Rachel Cadle says the short-stay parks are an upgrade to the old pick-up and drop-off areas outside the hospital.

She says the parks are meant to encourage a fast turnover for people accessing Waipapa -- and complement the DHB's park and ride shuttle service operating from the Deans Ave site.