Local residents’ outrage at the volume of freedom campers and their waste has reached a point which can no longer be ignored by central and regional government, says the NZ Outdoors Party.
Ahuriri Bridge and the Shotover delta are but two of hundreds of sites that have been inundated and despoiled by visitors. Co-Leader, David Haynes, said “ Having talked to locals from Taupo to Te Anua over the course of the last year, all I hear are stories of freedom campers shitting in our bush and washing their hair and dishes in our rivers and lakes. I have yet to hear of anyone who thinks it’s OK – everyone is saying ‘enough is enough!’”
The NZ Outdoors Party is proposing a radical solution to the problem. “Token tourist taxes and building more toilets and car parks is mere tinkering’” Haynes continued, “We need to wake up to the fact the we are the biggest global attraction by virtue of our spaces, our people and our natural environment – this very essence of our attraction is being tested by too many tourists.
The Outdoors Party is proposing a ballot system for tourist visas and repeal of the Freedom Camping Act, as the first stage to elevating tourism from high volume to high value. Controlling numbers of tourists enables both locals and visitors alike to once again enjoy our open spaces, hospitality and environment.
Over the last 20 years there has been a steady closure of public facilities in popular tourist areas. And even in towns most of these get closed at night.
I am quite certain that this has been and is a deliberate policy to force campers into motels and camping grounds where they will pay nearly as much. The local bodies who have enacted this policy deserve all the shit they get in my opinion. It is wonderful to see the light is at last beginning to shine.
D J S
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