Freedom campers are set to come under tougher scrutiny this summer as a trial monitoring regime for sites around Lake Dunstan is announced.
Land and Information New Zealand (Linz) deputy chief executive Crown property Jerome Sheppard said public education would also be improved alongside the trial, during which a Central Otago security firm would enforce site rules and deal with any "antisocial behaviour''.
The new regime has been developed in tandem with the Central Otago District Council, and Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan welcomed the development.
"I am pleased to see that Linz has responded to community concerns regarding the number of campers and the length of stay of some at various sites around Lake Dunstan.''
Mr Sheppard said Linz had been receiving an increasing number of complaints about ``inappropriate toileting'', rubbish dumping, overwhelmed facilities and ``the antisocial behaviour of site users'' at Lake Dunstan campsites, and hoped the new initiatives would help curb the problems seen over recent summers.
"In some cases, visitor behaviour has negatively affected the experience for the other visitors and troubled local residents,'' he said.
"We appreciate that these areas are popular, not only for camping but also for day and recreational use by visitors and the local community, and we want to ensure the areas are available and safe to be used by everyone.''
When asked how the rules would be enforced, Linz group manager land and property Jeremy Barr said "to date, camper-to-camper education has proven to be effective in changing some behaviours on campsites and we hope there will be no need for our contractor to enforce the rules. Once the new signage is in place clearly explaining the rules of the sites and the consequences for not abiding by them, our contractor will be able to ask campers to leave, or in worst case scenarios, present them with a trespass notice. Linz has no legislative power to issue fines or infringement notices, but we are confident the education and monitoring trial will eliminate most of the irresponsible behaviour this summer.''
Facilities at Linz-managed Lake Dunstan sites would also be improved in a bid to deal with the growing number of visitors to the region, Mr Sheppard said.
Extra toilets would be installed at the Bendigo and Lowburn sites and fences erected at the Lowburn and Champagne Gully sites to stop people parking vehicles on the immediate lakefront.
Vehicle counters will again be installed at lakeside sites to monitor site usage.
Increased education would be delivered through signs and Linz contractors as well as through "key online information platforms'' used by campers, such as Campermate and GeoZone.
