Kiwis become unhappy campers

Freedom campers continued to stay in Golden Bay over summer, but a few of the mainly Kiwi visitors brought bad behaviour with them, including being more hostile when caught breaking the rules.

Tasman District Council regulatory manager Adrian Humphries says in a report that 116 infringement notices were issued between December 1, 2020 and March 17, 2021 in Golden Bay, compared with 75 for the same period the previous summer.

Enforcement officers also experienced more hostility from campers caught breaking the rules, he said.

‘‘We have definitely seen an increase in aggressiveness,’’ Humphries said.

‘‘I don’t know if it’s just because the people are New Zealanders and feel that they have more of a right to use the land than others – that’s part of it. I think it may be, as well, an aspect of the fact that people have been cooped up and suddenly allowed to go free, and then they get told they’re not allowed to be where they are.’’

However, there was no excuse for such hostility, he said.

An assault on an officer was ‘‘particularly nasty’’, and police were working on a prosecution.

‘‘The closure of the two non-selfcontained sites [Waitapu Bridge and Taupata Point] there have resulted in freedom campers bomb bursting everywhere ... and we have issued a lot more freedom camping infringement notices in Golden Bay than previous years, because people are going where they shouldn’t be going,’’ he said.

The use by freedom campers of land outside council administration, such as sites on Department of Conservation or Land Information New Zealand land, or privately owned properties, had ‘‘increased quite markedly’’.

‘‘It may be . . . people have been cooped up and suddenly allowed to go free.’’ Adrian Humphries,

Tasman District Council regulatory manager