They have everything they need
A lot has been said about Freedom Camping recently in the Chronicle .I am a member of the NZMCA — NZ Motor Caravan Association and have spent much time freedom camping. My wife and I spent almost four years living in our motorhome and travelling around NZ. A lot of our time was spent freedom camping.
We have 95,000 members in our association and all of our members must have their vehicles “selfcontained”. What does that mean? In simple terms it means that the members must be able to shut themselves in their vans for at least three days without coming out. The vehicles must therefore have sufficient water, toilet facilities and food preparation ability to do this.
Most of our vehicles also have TV, showers and heaters and generally speaking all the comforts of home. For this reason, we do not need camp ground facilities. We do however spend money wherever we go, as most of us enjoy eating out and getting a coffee. We also need food and fuel and occasional repairs.
We are such a large organisation now, that we have purchased 50 of our own parks throughout NZ. The cost to stay at these parks is just $3 per head per night. We do not, of course, provide showers and toilet and kitchen facilities, because we all have our own. Just a safe place to park.
While some of our members will choose to go to campgrounds, the majority will not as they do not need the facilities or the need to spend several hundred dollars a week on camp fees.
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
Parkdale
Rebuttal needed
In Chronicle, May 23, Stephen Rostron writes “to throw a spanner in the works” of the government’s successful handling of the Covid-19 crisis (so far). Normally I would defend his right to his opinion on the ground that anyone is entitled to make a fool of him or herself in public as long as it doesn’t hurt others. But there’s the rub. Although “it’s just a letter” it contains dangerously misleading misinformation that in these times of uncertainty may easily detract from our need for effort in common, based on science and fact, to mitigate the threat of this pandemic.
Mr Rostron opposes our lockdown measures largely, it seems, for reasons of economic cost, minimising the potential cost in human health and lives or possible overwhelming of our normally fragile health system.
He offers instead the example of Sweden as a place which did not lockdown and, he claims Sweden’s health system has carried on as normal, with, as he predicts, fewer deaths, and better economic outcome.
According to the Johns Hopkins Covid19 scoreboard, as of May 22, Sweden had 32,809 cases, 3925 deaths, 23,913 currently active cases. Its nearest neighbour Norway, which did lockdown, had 8332 cases, 235 deaths, and has 370 active cases. Our own statistics are 1504 cases, 21 deaths and currently 28 active cases.
Too often people are cavalier about death and illness as long as it isn’t their own or someone close to them that’s affected.
KAY KUTEN
Whanganui
In simple terms it
means that the members must be
able to shut themselves in their
vans for at least three days without
coming out.