A Dunedin City Council bylaw subcommittee yesterday voted for an option that would mean those vehicles would have to use campgrounds, backpackers or similar accommodation when staying overnight within the city boundary.
The move has been opposed by some, who were concerned it would merely force campers to find places to stay that had no facilities.
The subcommittee's recommendation still has to go before a full meeting of the council, due next month or October.
Of the 250 public submissions on the camping control bylaw,
185 (74%) supported a move to restrict camping to self-contained vehicles within the Dunedin boundary, council staff's recommended option.
Staff said the approach had been adopted by other local authorities, including the Queenstown Lakes District Council, Waitaki District Council and Christchurch City Council.
The hearings committee of Cr Andrew Whiley, Cr Christine Garey and Cr David Benson-Pope spent yesterday morning deliberating on what they had heard during hearings on Monday.
Cr Garey said there was a need for a simple bylaw, consistent with what campers experienced in other places.
She was, however, concerned about where freedom campers would go if they could not stay on council land.
The subcommittee heard they would be redirected to camping grounds and backpackers, despite some submissions saying they would not want to do so and spaces at camping grounds were limited.
Recreation planning and facilities manager Jendi Paterson said there would be increased enforcement, with once-daily patrols perhaps increased to two a day, along with education through app providers and social media.
Cr Benson-Pope said bylaws New Zealand-wide were unsatisfactory.
Cr Benson-Pope was concerned option one would force campers ''underground'', away from places with facilities, meaning a return to a situation where they went to the toilet where they could.
Cr Whiley moved the option, and it passed on the votes of himself and Cr Garey.
Waikouaiti Community Board chairman Alasdair Morrison, who argued against the banning of non-self-contained vehicles, responded after the meeting that the decision was ''a surprise''.
''In my view, it is a short-sighted solution, and it's going to cause problems.
''It's going to set the whole thing back years.''
If hundreds of freedom campers turned up at places where they thought they could go, such as the council's Warrington freedom camping site, ''goodness knows what the council is going to spend on enforcement''.
Mayor Dave Cull said councils had to provide infrastructure ''for nothing'' to deal with the campers' needs.
The community appeared not to want that.
The campers would have to use camping grounds ''set up to cater for people, and provide facilities to get rid of their waste''.
Ms Paterson said staff would put together a report for the council, which would make a final decision on the matter.
Waitaki District Council regulatory services manager Lichelle Guyan said her council put a similar bylaw in place after issues two summers ago.
The main problem had been at Kakanui, despite there being no official site there.
''Our bylaw has dramatically reduced that, which is great.''
The council patrolled in the morning and handed out infringement notices if necessary.
Ms Guyan said she did not know where the freedom campers had ended up going.
The council was reviewing the bylaw.
