When approached by the Queenstown Times, Ms van Uden said the problem of people camping inappropriately had to be addressed consistently nation-wide.
"Camping inappropriately and not respecting the environment - that's what we're frowning upon," she said.
"I'm sure that anybody pulling off to the side of the road and finding piles of rubbish and human excrement will be repulsed no matter where they come from."
Central government had indicated it was proceeding with legislation, and being able to issue infringement notices would be an important part of dealing with the problem, Ms van Uden said.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council's proposed draft bylaw on the issue, which will be available from March 1, would provide practical means to enforce it, QLDC community services general manager Paul Wilson said.
"The bylaw is effectively the same as the one we've had since 2003, but it provides some legal teeth. So in terms of what the rules are in the QLDC area, if you are self-contained, you are able to camp outside of the township and residential areas of the district, but if you don't have self-contained facilities, you are unable to do so."
Signs are "simply ignored" by campers and errant campers are told to move on, Mr Wilson said - a process which costs ratepayers close to $80,000 a year.
"We hope that when we get the infringement notice scheme in place, that will give people the extra incentive to camp responsibly. We are really keen to have people freedom camp, but they just have to have the responsibility to have the right facilities and do it in the right places."
He said fines, which would be set by central government, were unfortunately the next step. Despite widely available information and public toilet facilities, there had been no improvement in the situation.
"It's as bad as it ever has been, if not getting worse," he said.
"There are some really responsible campers out there who seek information on where you can and can't camp, and there are others who dump their rubbish and defecate across the countryside."
Subject to council approval, Mr Wilson hoped submissions could be finished as early as May 31.
