About 28 illegal freedom campers have so far been hit in the pocket since $40 instant fines were introduced two weeks ago as an interim measure while the Queenstown Lakes District Council takes public submissions on its proposed freedom-camping bylaw.
Dunedin's freedom camping policy will soon go out for public consultation, with hearings on May 17, to try to deal with issues before the Rugby World Cup.
Lifting a blanket ban on freedom campers outside camping grounds, and effective enforcement, backed up with fines of up to $1000, are in plans drawn up to deal with concerns about the pollution campers cause.
The Dunedin City Council will undertake a freedom camping "census" this month.
The sight of well-equipped campervans has been a familiar one on our Southern roads for many years, and these self-contained temporary mobile homes create few problems as their occupants tour the sights.
A bylaw prohibiting freedom camping in large swaths of the Queenstown Lakes district was passed unanimously by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in Wanaka yesterday.
Freedom campers might be fined up to $20,000 for parking for the night on lake fronts within the Queenstown Lakes District Council's authority, according to a draft bylaw released this week.
Visitors to Queenstown who sleep in vans and spend their money on alcohol "should not go on holiday" if they can't afford the $20 it costs to stay in a Queenstown Lakes District Council camping ground.
Infringement fines will be part of a "multipronged attack" in a proposed bylaw legislating against campers dumping rubbish and excrement, Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said this week.
Central Otago residents can rest assured the issue of freedom camping is "high on the radar" of the Central Otago District Council, Mayor Tony Lepper says.
Groups of freedom campers near the Alexandra boat ramp are spoiling the look of one of the main entrances into the town, a resident says.
Boulder blockades are unlikely to be put back in place to deter freedom campers at Lake Hawea, with local residents pursuing more constructive solutions to address an ongoing messy problem.
A confrontation with freedom campers at Lake Hawea yesterday ensured Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden got the message across about their unwanted messy habits.
Hopes that pristine scenic areas beside Lake Hawea would stay free from human waste and litter have been dashed less than three months after public access to several reserves was reinstated.
A publicity campaign about waste left by freedom campers will continue in the wake of the recent removal of boulder blockades beside Lake Hawea, a community leader says.
It's time to move beyond the hysteria and knee-jerk comments about camper vans and look at the matter logically.
A community-led clean-up of scenic areas beside Lake Hawea will be followed by the removal of boulder blockades put up in April to stop freedom campers from accessing the highway laybys.
An expected spike in campervan rentals around the time of the Rugby World Cup is not a concern for freedom camping watchdogs at the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand.
A study into the commercial benefits and costs associated with freedom camping and the campervan rental industry appears unlikely to be done by national authorities - eight months after a plea from the Otago Conservation Board for the issue to be considered.
A ban on freedom camping may be amended by the Dunedin City Council in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
