CAMPING BATTLE LINES DRAWN DOWNUNDER

New Bylaws threaten freedom

 camping in New Zealand
by Peter Blakeborough

The writer's motorhome Wandering Wheels
camped at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand

Motor-home enthusiasts in New Zealand are gearing up for a battle with district councils in a determined bid to defend their right to freedom camp, in fully self-contained motor-homes, at the country’s beauty spots. Their organization, the New Zealand Motorcaravan Association with 44,000 members, is leading the charge.

New Zealand has an abundance of secluded and scenic places ideal for freedom camping and the NZMCA and its members are mindful of their responsibility to treat these areas with respect. ‘Leave only footprints and take only photos’ is a motto often heard in New Zealand motor-home circles.

The NZMCA believes that the Freedom Camping Act 2011 is being misinterpreted, or ignored, by some cities and district councils and they are prepared to fight in the courts to uphold the rights of their members to camp in any place that does not constitute a danger or nuisance to other people or the environment. The Freedom Camping Act regards freedom camping as a legitimate activity in all parks and public areas unless there is good reason for restricting it.

The Act and other legislation prohibits councils from introducing bylaws that protect local businesses from competition or loss of business. But some councils ignore this law and create bylaws that compel campers to go to commercial motor camps. It’s like outlawing home-baked bread to support bakeries.

Under the Freedom Camping Act councils are required to display signage in all areas where their bylaws prohibit camping and they cannot have a blanket ban over an entire council district. But some councils have responded by permitting limited motor-home parking in unattractive or undesirable places and banning it everywhere else. In the Thames-Coromandel District Council area a total of six car parking spaces have been provided in towns and freedom camping is prohibited everywhere else in the large rural and scenic district.

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The NZMCA and its members are strong supporters of fully self-contained motor-homes and the association is the official authority for issuing self-containment certificates. The rules for self-containment require, among other things, three days of fresh water and waste for each person the vehicle is licensed to carry.

But some councils are aggressively targeting motor-homers with instant fines for parking at night in the same areas where cars can legitimately park without restriction.

“All we ask is that the bylaws are a fair and reasonable application of the Freedom Camping Act,” acting NZMCA general manager Pete Jenkins was quoted as saying in the Association’ Motor Caravanner magazine.

The NZMCA was founded in 1956 by Andy and Gladys Anderson and is New Zealand’s largest camping and motor caravanning organization. The association website can be visited at:

www.nzmca.org.nz