Watchful eye still on freedom campers despite bylaw’s demise
Wednesday, 1 January 2025
Fears of freedom camping chaos in Queenstown and Wānaka after the High Court quashed a restrictive bylaw may have been unfounded.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council adopted the strict Freedom Camping Bylaw in 2021 following a public outcry over campers parking in public spots and leaving rubbish and human waste behind.
The rules confined self-contained freedom campers to only one small area in the popular holiday destination district, situated near Luggate.
The NZ Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) successfully challenged the legality of the bylaw in the High Court, leading to it being quashed in September.
Many feared the overturning of the rules before summer would lead to a new influx of freedom campers.
Among them was NZMCA chief executive Bruce Lochore, who said the council had created an “open-slather” situation by not working on new freedom camping rules with the organisation.
“They are hanging their ratepayers out to dry with a deliberate choice that has opened the door to a potential free-for-all for irresponsible freedom campers,” he said in a December newsletter to members.
However, his predictions and the concerns of many others appear to be unfounded, largely due to a different set of rules under the Reserves Act, which prevent camping on many public spaces, including lakefronts.
Former mayor Jim Boult pushed for the original bylaw after seeing large numbers of freedom campers hang their laundry and using nearby bushes as toilets on his morning run around Lake Hayes.
He was concerned freedom campers would return in large numbers this year, but pleasantly surprised it had not been as bad as predicted.
“We’ve been waiting for them to start arriving and I did see two outside the rowing club when I was walking yesterday, but none at the reserve end,” he said.
Deputy mayor Quentin Smith said he had seen some campervans potentially parked illegally along the Lake Wānaka waterfront overnight, but had not received complaints from the public.
Around Frankton Beach in Queenstown, several vehicles appeared to be freedom camping early on Monday, including one with an $800 fine on the windscreen, issued under the Reserves Act.
Under the Freedom Camping bylaw, maximum fines were $400.
“One thing that is very evident is that $800 fines are very effective,” Smith said.
“In many ways the Reserves Act is proving to be a much more powerful tool, so that’s a positive outcome I suppose.”
There were several budget camping areas where people could park with rates as low as $10 a night, he said.
Boult said the previous council fought “long and hard” to resolve the issue of freedom camping and it would be “horrific” to return to the situation the community faced five years ago.
“My message to the current council is to fight tooth and nail to retain the rules.”
A council spokesperson said while the council had stopped enforcing the 2021 Freedom Camping Bylaw, restrictions under the Reserves Act regarding temporary and permanent accommodation were being enforced.
The national Freedom Camping Act 2011 also required vehicles be certified self-contained to freedom camp.
An interactive map on the council website showed areas where legislation such as the Reserves Act applied.
Summer ambassadors were taking a “friendly educational approach” to campers, which would be supported by enforcement measures where required, the spokesperson said.
That could relate to camping overnight in a non-certified self-contained vehicle with a valid warrant, freedom camping on council reserves, dumping rubbish, making excessive noise, and illegal parking.
No information was available yet on the number of infringement notices issued.
A draft replacement bylaw would go out for public consultation in the new year, and was expected to be in place before next summer.