The role of freedom camping must be included in the discussion about the future of tourism, says Lake Wanaka Tourism (LWT) general manager James Helmore.

His comment comes after the withdrawal of a petition to Parliament calling for foreign tourists to be prohibited from freedom camping in New Zealand.

The petition, which had attracted almost 8,000 signatures, was withdrawn last week when Jennifer Branje, the campaigner who started the petition, received threats of violence.

Her petition suggested freedom camping should be restricted to New Zealanders only and foreign visitors, who wanted to enjoy the country in campervans, could continue to do so while staying overnight in commercial campgrounds and holiday parks.

One of those who signed the petition was Sarah Burdon, owner/manager of The Camp, Lake Hawea Holiday Park.

Sarah said now was the right time to be debating the future sustainability of tourism. The current freedom camping model, with the government paying millions of dollars every year to provide free services and the environment still being used inappropriately by some freedom campers, “is not sustainable”, she said. 

Washing strung between a lakeside tree and a freedom camper’s vehicle is not unusual in Wanaka. PHOTO: Wanaka App

Up to March 2019, central government had invested $8.5M to address issues raised about freedom camping, such as complaints about freedom campers using New Zealand’s outdoors environment as a laundry and toilet.

In recent years, the government granted the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) more than half a million dollars to promote freedom camping education and provide free camping sites, hubs and services, such as toilets, showers and rubbish disposal.

Tourism minister Kelvin Davis said although the government was reviewing the future of the tourism sector he did not support the direction of Jennifer Branje’s petition. He said New Zealand was known for its welcoming hospitality and the petition was discriminatory.

The Lake Hawea Holiday Park operates a popular food truck on site providing coffee and hot food three days a week (Friday to Sunday). PHOTO: Supplied

Sarah’s view is that what was being proposed was no more discriminatory than the tourism levy foreign visitors pay on arrival, noting all other visitors to NZ pay for their lodgings and associated services without being subsidised by the taxpayer.

“By paying to stay in a holiday park... [or at] camping grounds the freedom campers are contributing economically. This money is then injected back into the community,” she said.

“The freedom campers can dispose of their rubbish, shower, and wash clothes at the holiday park rather than loitering in the towns brushing their teeth in the public loos, washing in the lakes and filling up rubbish bins around the town.”

According to information released by the Holiday Parks Association of New Zealand in 2019 holiday parks contribute an average of 86 per cent of their expenditure to their own regions, employing locals, paying rates and taxes.

Sarah has evidence indicating free camping sites, such as Craigburn, near Lake Hawea, are still being used as a “toilet” even by self-contained campers. PHOTO: Supplied

Last year Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean said freedom camping hubs were designed to reduce the environmental impact of freedom campers, but “government funding for freedom camping should not be used in direct competition with private Wanaka camping ground operators,” she said.

“Holiday parks are one of New Zealand’s most valuable assets and if they are not utilised you will lose them too,” Sarah said.

“Camping in a holiday park is not for everyone, however for those travelling from overseas it is the sustainable option to protect New Zealand.”

James Helmore told the Wanaka App any discussion about the future of tourism must include the challenges of freedom camping.

“We’ve been working locally here and at a national level advocating for changes to the Responsible Camping Act,” he said.

Issues which must be addressed include the definition of ‘self contained’, and control of the ongoing sale of “glorified wagon type vehicles”, he said.

Tourism needs to “give more than it takes”, LWT general manager James Helmore says. PHOTO: Supplied

James said there must also be national consistency in the rules and regulations governing freedom camping, where currently there is a “confusing mess”.

In this region four authorities have jurisdiction over freedom camping areas and, James said, he would like to see a shared resource to enforce rules.

He would also like to see the legislation evolve further to identify areas for camping, rather than areas where camping is prohibited, to “ring-fence” any problems.

He said there are some good initiatives around the country, including locally with the QLDC building a relationship with camping grounds.

He supports council’s role during the past two summers in working “to quantify and understand” the issues around freedom camping via the hubs.

Regionally, however, there’s not much clear information on what value freedom campers bring.

“At the moment pretty much all we can measure is visitor spend,” James said, adding there needs to be “a whole lot of work” on bringing together data sources to get a clearer picture.

The International Visitors Survey indicates the number of international visitors who did some freedom camping has been rising (there were 54,000 in the year ended 2013, and around 123,000 in the year ended 2018) and their total estimated spending has also increased significantly (from $210 million in 2013 to $540 million in 2018).

In 2017 and 2018, visitors who did some freedom camping spent, on average, around half as much per day ($99) compared with all visitors ($195). However, because their average length of stay was approximately three times longer than other visitors, their total average spend of around $4,400 per visitor in 2017 and 2018 was higher than the national visitor average.

But perhaps more important than the data is the need for the community to have a say in what it wants and what it’s comfortable with in terms of freedom camping, James said.

Issues should include: “How you manage it on the ground? What is acceptable to our community, and what are the values that underpin our district,” he said.

“Visitors need to be respectful of our place and our people. Some of the behaviour we’ve seen attributed to that group hasn’t been good enough. Tourism’s got to give far more that it takes.”

But James believes that conversation needs to take place when there’s more certainty for businesses. 

Tourism NZ (TNZ), which the Minister of Tourism has tasked to “rethink” tourism, has reframed the task and taken it back to the Minister; so at this stage it is not clear what the rethink will include and how it will take place, James said. However the role of regional tourism organisations (RTOs) like LWT will be vital in the process.

“RTOs will have a very valuable role in feeding our community’s sentiment and thought into that big picture,” James said.

QLDC spokesperson Jack Barlow told the Wanaka App one of the council-initiated recovery taskforces will have a specific focus on the tourism industry, and “will undoubtedly include some consideration around freedom camping”. 

“However, it’s important to remember that freedom camping activity is governed largely by the Freedom Camping Act 2011 so there may be limited things the taskforce can recommend,” he said.

Watch this space.

PHOTOS: Supplied