Banning freedom campers ‘illegal’
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis has ruled out a ban on freedom camping.
Davis made the comments at a webinar for the tourism industry on the West Coast. The webinar was part of a Regional Tourism Restart with Tourism New Zealand and Development West Coast to discuss the work happening to restart and reimagine the tourism sector.
He was asked by a West Coast tourism operator whether the Government would support a ban on freedom camping for international visitors and better management of camping for New Zealanders.
‘‘I don’t think legally we could ban freedom camping for internationals because it would be discriminating against someone for not being Kiwi, and I think the Bill of Rights would kick into gear,’’ he said.
Davis said freedom camping was the biggest issue for him when he first became tourism minister in 2017.
He had worked with a ‘‘responsible camping group’’ and offered money through the Tourism Infrastructure Fund to ensure councils could manage freedom camping.
In total $16.5m was spent in 27 councils on infrastructure like toilets, a technology-driven pilot that helped reduce overcrowding at selected sites, and a marketing campaign to inform campers of expected behaviour.
He said Queenstown mayor Jim Boult had written to him in January about the improvements.
‘‘He used to get between five and 10 complaints a day over Christmas, but in the DecemberJanuary just been he only had one,’’ he said.
Davis said Kelvin Davis only 3 per cent of visitors were freedom campers. ‘‘They stay for longer, visit more places and spend more money. Communities that have accepted it see it as a positive.’’
Tourism West Coast chief executive Jim Little said he believed more should be done to encourage visitors to stay at privately-owned or Department of Conservation campgrounds.
A woman who launched a petition seeking a ban on all freedom camping for non-residents has withdrawn her campaign after receiving threats.
Jennifer Branje, who runs the South Island visitor guide website South Proud, launched the petition in a bid to support for New Zealand tourism providers.