$200K govt grant received to manage camping areas

CENTRAL OTAGO

MANAGING camping around Lake Dunstan and Pinders Pond this summer will not fall on Central Otago ratepayers after an almost $200,000 funding injection from the Government.

The Central Otago District Council has received a grant of $191,800 from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to manage responsible camping over the 202021 peak season.

This year’s grant from the MBIE will be used in partnership with Land Information New Zealand to implement initiatives around Lake Dunstan.

Central Otago District Council chief executive Sanchia Jacobs welcomed the support.

‘‘This funding enables us to continue to provide facilities like toilets and WiFi, the latter which we use to track numbers of campers and deliver an education programme around responsible camping.

‘‘The funding enables this all to occur without any extra financial burden to the ratepayer.’’

The funding would be used to provide Portaloos, continue WiFi service at Bendigo and Lowburn, and the installation of vehicle counters at Pinders Pond and four Lake Dunstan sites (Bendigo, Champagne Gully, Lowburn and Jacksons).

It would also fund servicing and maintenance of campsites, rubbish collection, toilet cleaning and septic tank servicing, and work to improve site configuration for better use and to encourage appropriate camping and parking behaviour.

Finally funding would be diverted to monitoring and compliance, responsible camping surveys and data collection, minor signage upgrades and education and enforcement patrols.

Work will begin on November 1 in preparation for the peak season.