Letters: Call to ban freedom camping

Freedom campers should support local businesses. PHOTO/FILE

FREE LOADING: Freedom campers need to realise we are clean and green for a reason. PHOTO/FILE A_221116gn06bop.JPG

Last January, my husband and I spoke to three freedom campers from Europe. We had just watched them wash their greasy BBQ dishes, their bodies and shampoo their hair, all in Lake Okareka, Boyes Beach bay.

We asked them if they were enjoying our clean green country. "Oh yes," they enthused.

Well, we suggest it's not going to stay very clean if every camper washes everything in the lake.

Particularly when there are water closets and taps close by. They apologised and said they hadn't thought about it but they would take more care in the future.

We think the Rotorua Lakes Council should ban freedom camping and let them enjoy Rotorua's well appointed camping grounds. Support local businesses.

KAY TRASK-MACARTNEY
Rotorua

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John Pakes' letter (Letters, January 14) attacked me for asking Council (Letters, January 10) to return to representative democracy.

He said the claim "unelected representatives are making decisions that are binding on our city" was a "lie" giving oxygen to negativity, in contrast to "abounding" positivity in Rotorua, because council can overturn any committee decision.

This is a fig-leaf justification, in my view. I believe council actually rubber-stamps decisions that have already been made by committees of council.

In my opinion these committees provide disproportionate power to unelected representatives and officials, at direct cost to the influence and public accountability of councillors.

Worse, one of many legitimate communities of interest, Te Arawa, was given $250,000 of rates pa to fund two members (with full voting rights) onto each of two key policy-making committees of council, one of three places on the RMA Policy Committee, and automatic places on other committees.

The 22-30 per cent electoral swing against the mayor in my opinion shows that such race-based appointments are offensive to residents and ratepayers.

Finally, Mr Pakes has adopted the mayor's simplistic dualism of 'positivity' versus "negativity". It seeks to stigmatise critics instead of justifying actions using respectful accountability criteria.

Hence the appropriateness of the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers' principles; serving the public interest, engaging expert and neutral officials, restoring representative democracy, and sustaining legal compliance.

[ABRIDGED]
Reynold Macpherson
Rotorua