The New Zealand Motor Caravan Owners’ Association (NZMCA) has continued to criticise Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) approach to freedom camping, saying the council is firmly to blame for any negative impacts from camping this summer.

This month the NZMCA told its members that QLDC had “deliberately created” an “open slather” approach to freedom camping in the district.

“They are hanging their ratepayers out to dry with a deliberate choice that has opened the door to a potential free-for-all for irresponsible freedom campers,” NZMCA CEO Bruce Lochore said in the group’s December newsletter.

QLDC stopped enforcing its 2021 Freedom Camping Bylaw after it was revoked by the High Court in early November after the NZMCA challenged the bylaw’s legality.

“The bylaw restricted freedom camping in a number of areas in the district. Without it those restrictions are lifted,” a QLDC spokesperson told the Wānaka App last month.

Read more: Council stops enforcing freedom camping, legal costs mount

However, campers should not assume they can camp on any public land without checking if any other restrictions apply (such as restrictions under the Reserves Act regarding temporary and permanent accommodation).

The national Freedom Camping Act 2011 also requires that vehicles be certified self-contained to freedom camp and QLDC has continued to enforce this. 

Bruce Lochore told members the NZMCA had told QLDC “their proposed bylaws didn’t meet the requirements of the law and [we] offered to work with them to ensure that they did”.

“Even after we had won the case, Justice Osborne gave QLDC the opportunity to find a solution for this summer. We could have pushed for the bylaw to be quashed but we didn’t; instead we reached out in good faith to QLDC to offer an olive branch to avoid the current situation.

“We should have known better – QLDC rejected our assistance and asked the Court to quash the bylaw.”

NZMA’s CEO says there is potential for a “free-for-all for irresponsible freedom campers this summer”. PHOTO: Wānaka App

He said QLDC has blamed NZMCA for the lack of freedom camping controls this summer, but, he said: “... any negative impacts from the QLDC’s decision need to be laid at their door”.

Deputy mayor Quentin Smith told the Wānaka App he was disappointed the group continued to “actively antagonise QLDC and its residents”.

“I have personally extended the invite on a number of occasions to NZMCA to work constructively,” he said.

“I extend an open invite to Bruce Lochore and his board to arrange a public meeting in Wānaka with an independent facilitator so they can make their case and explain what they want.  

“Their continued approach of aggressive and expensive legal action is perplexing when they refuse to engage with the community they impact both financially and in terms of effective management of issues in our community.” 

QLDC was approached for comment.

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