Frustration levels are down since the summer crowds of freedom campers left Kakanui, but the community is still split on freedom camping, Waitaki district councillor Melanie Tavendale says.
After up to 200 people stayed at Campbells Bay on busy nights, and the toilet block failed on occasions over the summer, freedom camping became a hot issue for the seaside community.
The Waitaki District Council could take its first steps towards regulating freedom camping at today's council meeting when it begins its General Bylaw 2006 review. Cr Tavendale, who lives at Kakanui, has been nominated as chairwoman of the subcommittee overseeing the process.
‘‘I think the anger has kind of died down a wee bit, and we've now got people just interested in being part of the discussion, really,'' Cr Tavendale said yesterday.
‘‘Most people I've talked to are just happy that we're putting the issue first now and realising something has to happen.''
The council's plan was to have rules for freedom camping in place for the entire district before the next season began and while the issue had been pronounced at the Kakanui beach, the subcommittee would seek input from each community affected by the issue.
‘‘We're going to need to pull in people from different areas ...
to make sure we're not only making rules for one area,'' she said. Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher again yesterday made the case for a stand-alone freedom camping bylaw, which ‘‘would be much clearer'' and easier to review if required in future.
Mr Kircher said anecdotal evidence suggested this year had been the district's busiest for freedom campers and tourist numbers continued to increase.
Although the council could not ban freedom camping, it could direct freedom campers to certain areas and away from others.
Places where tourists stopped and used the council's facilities, but did not contribute to the district financially, were problematic for the council, he said.
Like other tourists, freedom campers did not necessarily spend money in the areas where they stayed the night.
‘‘Is there a way to get money from them while they are here which helps to pay for the costs of providing the facilities for them as well?
‘‘Where [freedom camping] can and can't happen is a big part of that. That's part of the conversation that we will be having with those communities.''
The council's regulations would only be ‘‘one part of the action that we are taking around freedom camping'', he said.
‘‘We definitely need to be talking to NZTA, Doc, Linz, because they do have land in our district and our bylaws won't reach them,'' Mr Kircher said.
The council was also talking to the Government about general rules around freedom camping across New Zealand.
