Campers in Whangārei's Cobham Oval carpark are frustrated the council is moving them on after years of being allowed to stay. Photo / Karina Cooper
Campers in Whangārei's Cobham Oval carpark are frustrated the council is moving them on after years of being allowed to stay. Photo / Karina Cooper
A makeshift community of people living in campervans, caravans or cars is frustrated the Whangārei District Council has evicted them from the urban carpark they call home.
The council voted in favour of freeing up Cobham Oval carpark, near the district’s events hub, by introducing a four-hour time restriction.
An estimated 25 people – a mix of permanent vehicles dwellers and rough sleepers – had to vacate the carpark by November 30 when the changes kicked in.
Whangārei pastor Chris Garland was among them. Her husband died six years ago, after which she couldn’t keep up with the mortgage.
Garland sold up the couple’s property and used the money to clear their debts and buy a van that was her home on wheels.
At Cobham Oval, her neighbours were solo women looking for a safe place to live, pensioners unable to afford to retire in a home owned or rented, bus drivers, mechanics, a nurse, a jeweller, families with kids living in cars, and some who opted for a nomad lifestyle.
Josie (from left), Rosie, Chris Garland with dog Rio, Tracey and pet Mia, and Steve have lived in Cobham Oval carpark. Photo / Karina Cooper
“There’s an 87-year-old who lives in a bus and has no other option,” Garland said.
“We have families that come in here at night. A mum, dad and their four kids live in their car because they’ve got nowhere else to go.
“There’s a pregnant woman living here because it’s near the hospital.”
Garland said the jumble of people had led to a caring community where everyone took care of one another.
She and another two campers helped raise the money needed to buy a caravan for a man living in his Honda in the carpark.
The man told the Northern Advocate he was unable to move the caravan by the council’s eviction deadline because his car didn’t work and even if it did he had nowhere to go.
“Two weeks before Christmas, we don’t need this,” he said.
The council said no time is a good time to deliver this kind of news.
Its primary concern had been to give people plenty of notice so they could avoid the penalties, which are a $200 fine or vehicles being towed and impounded.
Garland was concerned about what would happen once the tight-knit campers split.
“My fear is that a lot of these people will revert back to feeling fear and anxiety worrying about where do they fit or belong.”
Around 25 people live fulltime at Cobham Oval carpark. Many others come and go, often at night. Photo / Karina Cooper
The council said it wanted to work one-on-one to direct people to the right agencies as needed.
However, those who were camped in Cobham Oval criticised council as callous.
They said the suggestion they go to freedom camping spots did not work as most had a maximum stay of one night – very few allowed three.
Furthermore, moving all the time was tough for those working and for those who didn’t have the means or couldn’t afford to tow their caravans.
The council said it needed to ensure land was being used for its intended purposes and that residents and ratepayers could safely access it for those reasons.
“Sometimes that includes requiring campers or communities to move on.”
The campers had been able to stay for years as the carpark was unsealed and not properly finished when off-street carparks were declared parking places under the Parking and Traffic Bylaw 2017.
A council representative speaking at an October meeting said providing ample car parking was a key way to support event organisers.
Next year Cobham Oval is expected to host six to eight domestic cricket matches, and 15 major events are planned for Semenoff Stadium.
But the camper questioned why they couldn’t just leave when events were on. Garland said they wouldn’t mind and had done so in the past.
