Advice sought on banning freedom camping in non self-contained vehicles

Monday, 9 December 2019

Freedom campers in non self-contained vehicles can stay in some sites across Tasman District. Advice is being sought on whether a ban could be put in place.

A Tasman District Council hearing panel has called for advice on whether freedom camping in non self-contained vehicles can be banned across the district.

'The message I got that came through loud and clear was we're seen as a bit of a soft touch … compared with Nelson and Buller,' said panel member, councillor Kit Maling, on Monday during deliberations over submissions received on the council's draft Responsible Camping Strategy. 'We need to be consistent across the top of the South Island.'

Freedom camping is permitted in certified self-contained vehicles only on council-controlled land in Nelson and along the northern West Coast. However, in Tasman District, non self-contained vehicles are allowed in some designated freedom camping areas.

Maling said Golden Bay and Motueka, in particular, were attractive for holiday makers from overseas.

Juri Clari, of Italy, enjoying his stay during January in Golden Bay.

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The fire risk from freedom camping concerned some submitters to the council's strategy.

'We're going to end up with big numbers because of that,' he said. 'To me, it's got out of control and we're damaging our environment. We have to control it.'

A 'three-pronged attack' was needed.

'The first step is no non self-contained vehicles because otherwise we're seen as a soft touch from our neighbouring councils and [second] we're going to have to spend money on compliance, simple as that, and [third] lobby central government so it's a three-pronged attack and it will affect some New Zealanders but there are some cheap places to camp,' Maling said.

If the council did not take action, the 'problem's going to get worse'.

'We have cheap sites, some people just don't want to pay a thing,' Maling said. 'Sorry, no freeloaders. It's damaging our environment, it's damaging things for our community … so we have to do what we can within the law.'

Hearing panel chairman, deputy mayor Stuart Bryant, said advice would be sought on banning non self-contained vehicles: 'If we can practically do it and the likely implications.'

Council regulatory manager Adrian Humphries told panel members the council was not able to ban freedom camping throughout the district.

Travellers love it but locals aren't quite so enamoured by the freedom camping site at Waitapu Bridge in Golden Bay. This video was first published in January 2019.

'They're going to keep coming and they're allowed to keep coming, and the law allows them to camp,' Humphries said.

If campers were banned from some areas, over safety concerns for instance, 'we need to have somewhere else for them to go'.

Humphries said the level of problems with freedom camping was 'low'.

'We get far more noise complaints than we do freedom camping complaints throughout the summer,' he said.

From January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2019, the council had 740 complaints about freedom camping, of which 720 were about the presence of freedom campers 'not that they were doing anything wrong'.

Vehicles in many freedom camping spots around New Zealand are required to display a self-contained certification label. Tasman District Council may follow some other councils and allow self-contained vehicles only at its freedom camping sites.

Fifteen of the remaining 20 complaints were about white baiters 'so there's not a massive proportion of genuine complaints about freedom camping'.

Council staff realised freedom camping was an issue at some sites such as Waitapu Bridge in Golden Bay where in 2018 there had been more than 100 vehicles at times, which was 'not appropriate'.

To restrict numbers and deal with concerns about the fire risk, there were plans to put large boulders in place at Waitapu Bridge to prevent campers spreading out. The creation of designated individual spots was mooted at popular sites such as Alexander Bluff, near Motueka.

Council staff were also aiming to work more closely with the Department of Conservation around the issue of freedom camping.

'My personal opinion … you need to have somewhere for these people to go,' Humphries said. 'We do attract an awful lot of what I would call itinerant festival/drug users over summer … and they're mainly Kiwis. It's a very complex issue.'

The panel is due to reconvene in the New Year to further deliberate before making recommendations to the council.