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Freedom campers are on the rise again in New Zealand and so too are infringement notices for bad behavior, although numbers are still sitting below pre-Covid times.
Popular camping app, CamperMate has seen a 147% increase in searches for paid, low cost and free campsites and campgrounds this Summer compared with the last.
With that comes flouting of the rules for some.
Since December 1, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) alone has issued over 300 infringement notices for those not abiding by the rules.
The Christchurch City Council and Westland District Council are also dealing with ahandful of freedom campers not sticking to the rules.
It comes as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is considering whether to introduce the Self-Contained Motor Vehicles Legislation bill.
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Tough new freedom camping rules will allow authorities to issue $1000 fines for illegal camping and only self-contained vehicles with fixed toilets would be allowed to stay on land managed by councils.
The laws are being brought in to clean up New Zealand’s freedom camping image.
QLDC had issued 304 infringement notices to freedom campers since the start of summer, but most were following the rules, responsible camping manager Adrienne Hooper said.
“It’s been really good this summer, no visible poor behaviour and no real hot spots.”
Most campers had worked out the council would clamp down on all of them if there was “one bad egg”, so they seemed to be keeping things clean and using self-contained campervans at freedom camping sites, Hooper said.
Dean Kozanic/Stuff
One issue for freedom camping across the board are available rubbish bins.
A few signs had been smashed at Wānaka’s waterfront, but they were fixed quickly, she said.
The QLDC was strict on campers needing self-contained campervans, so some of the fines it had issued were for breaches of that bylaw.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about 70% of the freedom campers on New Zealand roads were from overseas and 30% were Kiwis, Hooper said.
“There are still a lot more Kiwis than internationals right now, so it makes sense that Kiwis are respecting their country.”
Since the beginning of summer, the Westland Council freedom had issued 72 infringements for freedom camping breaches.
“There are still a lot of non-self-contained rental vans being used, which is of concern,” camping contractor Mark Dixon said.
“We are seeing a lot more non-self-contained vans travelling from Wānaka-Queenstown. These visitors are generally younger overseas tourists.”
Franz Josef and surrounding areas were still popular with tourists, with three council enforcement officers funded through the Government’s Freedom Camping Transitional Fund to ensure freedom campers were following the rules.
Dixon said a good number of Kiwis from the North Island were also travelling to the West Coast in self-contained vehicles.
According to the Camper Mate app, up to 17,000 freedom campers were on the West Coast each night during the peak summer season.
Ricky Wilson/Stuff
A freedom camper at the Koromiko freedom camping site in Marlborough.
In Canterbury, the Christchurch City Council had issued 156 freedom camping infringements since the start of summer.
Council acting head of regulatory compliance Eavan McNamee said contractors who manage freedom camping had not raised any particular concerns.
“Their activities are consistent with previous years.”
The Self-Contained Motor Vehicles Legislation Bill was introduced to Parliament last year, and is in front of a select committee expected to make its decision by next month.
If passed into law, it would establish new rules for self-contained vehicles and introduce a new infringement regime to support councils. The law would mean all councils have the same rules for campers rather than each council creating their own bylaw.
“The Government is amending the Freedom Camping Bill to improve the sustainability of freedom camping in New Zealand by protecting the natural environment and our communities’ enjoyment of it,” Dale Elvy, MBIE’s Manager Tourism Operations and Partnerships, said.
“These reforms address some of the long-standing concerns about the behaviour of freedom campers.”
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