Blocking access to freedom campers and campervans around New Zealand's scenic hotspots is not a good message to send to international visitors or locals, a Tourism Industry Association advocate says.
However, TIA advocacy manager Geoff Ensor said there was "no way" anyone could be critical of the recent actions taken by the Hawea Community Association to blockade three lakeside reserves at Lake Hawea.
"That kind of environmental degradation is not defendable at all," he said, referring to the human waste and rubbish being left behind by campers in the area.
The TIA is behind the Freedom Camping Forum, a group initiative formed two years ago in response to growing community unrest about freedom campers.
He said that critics of freedom campers needed to realise that New Zealanders were also involved and the issue of rubbish and human waste being left behind could not be blamed entirely on tourists.
He hoped the Hawea Community Association's actions to block off access to lakeside reserves was not followed elsewhere around New Zealand.
"We understand it was a community reaction to a community problem," he said.
More needed to be done to influence the behaviour of freedom campers and the stakeholders involved with them, such as campervan rental companies, Mr Ensor said.
He acknowledged the Freedom Camping Forum needed to ensure its message and updates on what was being done to address problems associated with freedom campers needed to be better communicated to communities around New Zealand.
Hawea Community Association president Rachel Brown said the Freedom Camping Forum was making the right noises but nothing was happening at ground level.
"Obviously, the issue is a national one and we believe something needs to be done at national level to manage this aspect of tourism more sustainably," she said.
The association was taking action to protect "our lake" and to encourage national action against non-self-contained campervans. While she understood blocking access to the spots would cause frustration for legitimate campers, she also had a message for people wanting to use the blocked areas.
"They are so disgusting, you wouldn't want to camp there in the first place," she said.
