Camping ban 'good for city'

The council looks set to ban freedom campers in non-self-contained vehicles from the Ocean Spa carpark in Napier.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton says plans to ban freedom campers from living in cars and vans at a popular Marine Parade reserve will be good for the city and its accommodation industry.

Napier City Council's regulatory committee yesterday voted unanimously to proceed with public consultation over plans to amend the city's freedom camping bylaw.

The council wants to amend the bylaw so campers in "non-self-contained" vehicles - mainly station wagons and vans without certified onboard toilets and washing facilities - can no longer stay overnight at the carpark on reserve land north of Ocean Spa near Napier's CBD.

Residents and visitors have complained about the mess made by young freedom campers at the reserve, and the council has said the site does not present a good look at a key tourist "gateway" into the city.

Under the planned bylaw change, camping in non-self-contained vehicles would be restricted to a site about 2km south of the CBD, next to the pump track on Marine Parade.

The change would not affect tourists in certified self-contained motorhomes who would still be able to stay overnight at the reserve near Ocean Spa, and at other reserves around the city.

"The important thing for us to do is differentiate between the genuine motorhome people - who we all know are very responsible - and the people who turn up in cars and vans and have tended to be irresponsible," Mr Dalton told yesterday's meeting.

Councillor Richard McGrath said while he supported the change, it could be argued that freedom campers staying in the city for three days probably spent as much as a cruise-ship passenger visiting town for the day.

"Money is money to the businesses in Napier and we just need to be careful that with the way tourism is changing we don't become snobs to just one group," he said.

Councillor Maxine Boag, who spent last Friday night sleeping in her car at the Ocean Spa site as part of a campaign to raise money for the Limitless Help Emergency Shelter Appeal, said it needed to be recognised that not all freedom campers in cars were irresponsible.

"Some of the people who aren't self-contained still have a contribution to make and are valued by our city and we don't want to dissuade them completely form coming here. It's appropriate that we've found somewhere with adequate facilities, hopefully, and still with a nice view, for them to go."

Backpacker lodge owners and other budget accommodation providers have complained freedom camping is harming their industry and should not be supported by the council. They are concerned the planned bylaw change does not go far enough and will simply shift the problem from one location to another.

Under the Freedom Camping Act, councils can limit sites for freedom camping but can not ban it completely unless there is a compelling environmental reason to do so.