Getting tough on freedom campers

FREEDOM campers could have their stays alongside Lake Dunstan curbed under a new monitoring and enforcement regime being considered by Land and Information New Zealand (Linz).

Linz deputy chief executive for Crown property Jerome Sheppard said there were already maximum stays stipulated at the Lake Dunstan sites managed by Linz, but they were not enforced, and a new regime was being considered to ensure campers followed the rules.

‘‘We have been carrying out detailed work to explore a number of options, including the introduction of a monitoring and enforcement regime. Further work is being carried out to fully understand how we could man age any monitoring and enforcement system, including the required funding to set this up.’’

Mr Sheppard said it was likely any monitoring and enforcement system would be trialled at sites around Lake Dunstan such as Bendigo, Lowburn, Jacksons and Champagne Gully.

At present, the maximum stays at Bendigo and Lowburn are three nights, and at Jacksons and Champagne Gully one night, but many stay there for days or weeks at a time.

Mr Sheppard said Linz had been working closely with the Central Otago District Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Mackenzie District Council to consider what could be done this summer to manage increasing visitor numbers.

Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said he supported an enforcement regime and it was needed to ensure responsible camping and lower the impact and numbers of campers.

He said some areas in New Zealand had three day per calendar month limits at freedom camping sites, ‘‘and that, or something similar, would be my preferred option around Lake Dunstan so people seeking to live by the lake cannot simply go from one site to another every three days or so.

‘‘In my view, the ability for people to camp responsibly in the designated places around Lake Dunstan should remain, but under no circumstances should people be living around Lake Dunstan.’’

An enforcement regime could affect fruit and grape pickers, who had previously lived by the lake while they worked, and Mr Cadogan said he was talking to orchardists and viticulturists to ensure they were ready for any changes Linz made.

Mr Sheppard said Linz would be looking at its Lake Dunstan sites before Labour Weekend to see what other work was needed before the summer.