​Freedom campers to be monitored over summer

With the expectation of more overseas visitors returning to our shores post pandemic, and recent changes to freedom camping legislation, the Council will be keeping a close eye on any camping issues around the district this summer.

At the Central Otago District Council meeting on Wednesday (13 December 2023), elected members considered a report from the Parks and Recreation Manager Gordon Bailey regarding the control of freedom camping within the district.

Since 2019 and pre-pandemic, the Council had not experienced significant issues from freedom campers on its land. Most complaints were related to LINZ land around Lake Dunstan.

In June this year, the Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation Bill became law, which amends the Freedom Camping Act 2011 (Freedom Camping Act) and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006 (the PGD Act).

The legislation introduces a new national rule that freedom camping on local authority land in a non-self-contained vehicle is prohibited. In other words, the default position is now that freedom camping on local authority land is restricted to certified self-contained vehicles only.

Local authorities can diverge from the default position of the national rule by implementing freedom camping bylaws that:

• permit freedom camping in non-self-contained vehicles in certain areas, or
• prohibit or place restrictions on freedom camping in certain areas (e.g., limiting the number of consecutive days someone can camp in a certified self-contained vehicle in a particular area).

The Council agreed with a recommendation to defer the development of a Freedom Camping Bylaw to see how effective the recent changes to freedom camping rules and enforcement provisions had been over the 2023/24 summer season, including any public feedback on freedom camping and any camping related impacts on Council owned land. This information will be reported back to Council at its April 2024 meeting to determine if Council should proceed with a bylaw.

After the meeting Mr Bailey said that depending on what happened over summer, the Council could choose to develop a freedom camping bylaw, which could help manage the impacts of freedom camping.

“The changes to the Freedom Camping legislation that came in to force this year may change campers’ behaviours, so the of monitoring camping behaviour on Council land over summer will help make an informed decision on whether a freedom camping bylaw should be developed or not.”