More than $490,000 gifted to Western Bay and Tauranga councils for freedom campers

More than $490,000 is being given to Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga councils to help them better manager freedom camping ahead of summer. Photo / File

More than $490,000 is being given to Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga councils to help them better manage freedom camping ahead of summer.

The Government announced this week it was gifting grants to 27 councils around New Zealand to help address issues associated with freedom campers, as part of an $8.5 million package.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council was granted $340,000.

Tauranga City Council will receive $150,000 plus additional funding as part of a pilot programme to install sensor technology at some of the region's most popular freedom camping locations. Only 10 councils were selected.

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless said the funding showed the Government acknowledged responsibility in supporting local councils to implement useful freedom camping in their areas.

"Tauranga is a popular holiday destination for domestic and international travellers, so we appreciate having the additional investment to put towards infrastructure and monitoring costs."

The funding will go towards education and information provision, enforcement and monitoring, and infrastructure development such as signage, rubbish collection and recycling stations. It will ensure additional facilities and services are in place to support the community and minimise the impact on our environment.

Team leader of bylaws and parking Stuart Goodman said they wanted people to behave responsibly, and the technology will help the council to provide helpful information to campers on the availability of the top 10 sites.

Western Bay Mayor Garry Webber said the application for funding was a staff idea and the grant was proof "we have put our case very well to Government".

Reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said the money would fund a KiwiCamp facility in Waihi Beach, plus increase monitoring and smart compactor bins at freedom camping sites.

The KiwiCamp facility provides showers, toilets, dishwashing and laundry facilities access to potable water, waste and recycling, power charging and wireless internet. It will be built by Christmas, Watson said.

"The KiwiCamp model allows running costs to be recovered through a charging system - Kiwicash - a simple pay-as-you-go solution that gives campers great facilities - paid for by freedom campers."

Watson said this would help the council manage freedom camping at Waihi Beach "which is where the greatest number of compliance issues arise for the council over the peak of summer".

There are 47 freedom camping sites around the Western Bay district. In Tauranga, there are 38.