Fed-up mayors want national action on freedom camping horrors

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Councils across the country, including Nelson, have grappled with freedom camping issues and are taking their concerns to Parliament.

Freedom campers using bushes and drains to toilet and shower, littering and over-running parks and reserves will be among the horror stories shared by 32 mayors and deputies at a meeting with Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis in Wellington in Thursday morning.

Davis wants local and central government to adopt a collaborative approach to solving the freedom camping conundrum before next summer – though he admits there is no easy fix.

'For tourism to continue growing in New Zealand and remain successful over the longer term, we need to listen to our communities and get this right,' he said.

This tourist was caught with his pants down while he and his female partner were freedom camping in Te Anau's Fergus Square. The camper was liable for a $200 instant fine, but was let off with a warning.

Attempts by some councils to get it right have included restricting freedom camping to certain sites, and clamping the wheels of those camping where they're not welcome.

**READ MORE:

Freedom campers wash dishes, and themselves, at a drinking fountain in the Akaroa recreation area.

* Lumsden: divided over freedom campers

* Freedom campers banned from Waiwhakaiho

The volume of freedom campers is putting pressure on some small communities, such as Akaroa.

* Minister Kelvin Davis rounds up mayors

* Freedom camping in NZ: 'Deep bush is where it's at'**

A freedom camper's equipment spread across the road.

The problem is that the rules vary around the country, and the definition of freedom camping is unclear.

The Freedom Camping Act of 2011 allowed people to camp freely in any local authority area, unless prohibited through a bylaw or any other enactment.

Jacqueline Eames was so fed up with freedom campers' rubbish in Canterbury that she started picking it up herself.

Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult, whose council has resorted to clamping overnighters at the Wanaka lakefront, said his message for Thursday's meeting was the need for uniformity in freedom camping rules.

'We need to do things the same all around the country.'

Freedom campers from Germany and Switzerland set up camp in Lumsden, Southland, which allows camping in the middle of town.

Abel Tasman District Mayor Richard Kempthorne said his council wanted the ability to issue instant fines.

'At the moment, we just have to take them to court.'

He was not expecting 'shattering decisions' from the meeting right away, and change could take time.

Nelson City Council, which already had a problem with freedom campers passing through on their way to Abel Tasman National Park, found itself further inundated after the closure of State Highway 1 through Kaikōura.

In December, it introduced a bylaw that campers without self-contained toilets and washing facilities in their vehicles could not set up camp in the city.

It had issued 206 infringement notices since the bylaw came into effort, said councillor Ian Barker, who will be attending Thursday's meeting at the Wharewaka in Wellington.

'At ten o'clock at night, we go around the city and if there is anyone looking like they're going to camp in a non-self-contained camper, we do say to them that they can't camp here, and they must go to the motor camps.'

The change had been a success, he said. 'The most important thing is that the disgruntled city of Nelson is now really happy … and the businesses are happy too.'

However, restricting campers in certain places can simply make matters worse elsewhere, as New Plymouth found out this summer.

After the district council received more than 40 complaints about freedom camping, it introduced a bylaw preventing campers from staying at three sites at Back Beach, Fitzroy and Oakura beaches.

The restrictions resulted in the Waiwhakaiho river mouth reserve being inundated with campers, who parked there without having to pay a cent.

New Plymouth District Council deputy mayor Richard Jordan said the 'explosion' of campers needed regulation.

He had some suggestions for the minister's consideration, including a centralised WOF certification for certified self-contained vehicles, removing the inconsistency around the definition of a freedom camper, and fines which could be collected from people at the airport before departure,

Jordan also suggested the Tourism Infrastructure Fund could be easier for councils to access, and said a daily charge of vehicle rental companies could contribute to the tourism fund.

A town rejuvenated by campers

The Southland town of Lumsden has just a few cafes, a Four Square, and railway lines that closed 30 years ago – but it's slowly growing again after welcoming freedom campers banned from more popular destinations such as Te Anau and Queenstown.

In 2017, Lumsden had its busiest summer yet, with up to 100 campers a day parking in the town.

There are 19 freedom camping areas in Southland, but only six allow non-self-contained freedom campers. Of those, only Lumsden allows them to park in the middle of town.