Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult says his council is set to ban freedom campers from the northern end of Lake Hayes and the Shotover Delta.
Mr Boult made the announcement today that the ban was a response to the significant growth in freedom camping in the district this summer.
"These pressure points are seeing overcrowding, risks to public health due to human waste, and potential damage to our environment with people bathing and washing dishes or clothes in the lakes or rivers," he said.
The council said the behaviour of a minority of campers risked degrading the unique experience on offer for both locals and holiday-makers, and damaging the wider New Zealand reputation as a holiday destination.
“I have to reiterate that there are a lot of well-behaved campers coming to enjoy our district and we don’t want to affect their experience or make them feel any less welcome,'' Mr Boult said.
"But we have to listen to our residents and they’re telling us that ‘enough is enough.’"
The district had capacity for campers in a number of affordable and well-managed, commercially-operated campgrounds, but many holiday-makers were choosing other well-known reserves such as Lakes Hayes, Shotover Delta and Wanaka Lakefront.
“Tourism is the lifeblood of Queenstown Lakes and we continue to welcome the many campers that choose to come here and enjoy our unique environment respectfully and responsibly,” Mr Boult said.
The council would expand an existing freedom camping area near the Shotover Bridge, by State Highway 6, as an alternative, and toilet facilities would be built there.
It would also take a harder line in areas where freedom camping was not allowed, such as the Wanaka Lakefront, including clamping non-compliant vehicles and turning off free wi-fi overnight.
The council said it was continuing to work with government agencies such as the Department of Conservation and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to provide more remote sites in the district with appropriate resources to accommodate freedom campers, such as quickly supplying more roadside toilets.
It would also complete an application to Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund aligned with a new toilet strategy for the district.
QLDCs programme of activities would also include education to the camping community through social media and by working more closely with rental companies to provide materials encouraging better behaviour.
BYLAW REVIEW
Next month, the council would begin consulting the community on a review of its freedom camping bylaw, Mr Boult said.
Details of the Freedom Camping Control Bylaw review would be available via the QLDC website next month.
Earlier this week, the Otago Daily Times reported that breaking the freedom camping rules in the Queenstown Lakes District resulted in campers being fined $662,800 last year.
Council regulatory manager Lee Webster said 3314 infringement notices were issued, a 23% increase on 2016 (2691 infringement notices).
However, enforcement alone was not resolving the challenges and the council had resolved to take a harder stand.
Information supplied to the ODT showed across the district 17,536 freedom campers were counted during the calendar year at a variety of freedom camping sites.
