‘Ban freedom camping’

A woman has launched a petition to Parliament to ban all freedom camping for nonresidents.

Jennifer Branje, who runs the South Island visitor guide website South Proud, said the coronavirus pandemic was a perfect time to ‘‘reassess’’ the tourism industry. She launched the petition in a bid to stop freedom camping as a support for New Zealand tourism providers.

The petition has gained more than 1500 signatures in its first week and closes on July 31. It asks ‘‘that the House of Representatives urges the Government to abolish all freedom camping for non-residents of New Zealand in support of local tourism providers, and to cease allocating taxpayer revenue for further development of free camping sites’’.

Branje said New Zealand could reassess how its tourism industry would reset. ‘‘I believe we need value not volume. While freedom camping has previously been allowed, I believe the way forward is to abolish freedom camping for all non-residents in support of our local tourism operators,’’ she said. ‘‘New Zealand deserves to be a highvalue destination, not a cheap and cheerful place where visitors are given the option to camp on our roadsides. NZ is valuable, let’s put a value on it.’’

She said some councils had used the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund to pay for toilets and rubbish facilities at scenic locations and advertised them as free camping sites on international apps. Kiwi campgrounds and hostels had lost business as a result, she said.

She said she hoped the petition would gain up to 20,000 signatures.