Reaction to the announcement by the Queenstown Lakes District council that it will not be implementing overnight camping hubs for this summer has been mixed, with some saying it will see a return to vans parked in the streets.
At the weekend the council revealed it would instead be providing two daytime service hubs located in Queenstown and Wanaka with temporary toilets and showers, rubbish and recycling disposal, and Wi-Fi, and there would be a maximum stay of two hours at both service hubs.
Lake Hawea resident and freedom camping volunteer warden Diana Turnbull-Anderson said because of the overnight hubs they had ticketed only a handful of freedom campers last year, whereas they normally would ticket up to 100.
"It will be interesting to see what happens with this new scheme if we have more people back on our streets and beaches again.''
Other initiatives announced by the council to promote responsible and sustainable camping included an increased number of ambassadors, a greater number of Freedom Camping Officers, and signage - all funded through a $788,000 grant from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Lake Hawea Camping Ground and Holiday Accommodation manager Sarah Burdon said closing down the overnight hubs and offering freedom campers a free shower will not make them stay at holiday parks.
She said her reaction to the issue of freedom camping is that "it is not sustainable and it should be user pays.''
"I sat next to some people on a plane coming to New Zealand to travel around in a camper van and they said they were not going to stay in holiday parks they were going to freedom camp.
"That is the reputation we are getting, go to New Zealand, travel around in a van and don't pay for anything,'' she said.
Queenstown Holiday Park and Motels Creeksyde owner Erna Spijkerbosch, together with another couple, lease five other holiday parks, three in the Lake Wanaka area.
She said she could see only one improvement from the new daytime hubs, and that was not as many issues with "shower stealers''.
She said "the real question is having gone to the hub, had their shower, dumped all their waste and rubbish, are they then going to stay in the region and spend some money, and where are they going to camp?''.
Despite the council announcing it would not provide the two overnight hubs in Wanaka and Queenstown this summer, it has continued to operate a freedom camping site on the Luggate Red Bridge reserve.
Luggate Community chairman Graeme Perkins said it had continued through the winter, and it was a "mystery'' as to why.
He said the community had worked closely with the council in the establishment of the Red Bridge hub on the corner of the reserve as it "had solved the problem of vans parking up and leaving their mess in places".
Up to 90 vans a night had been recorded there in the summer. However, he said council had not informed them of the change from overnight hubs to daytime hubs and why the Red Bridge hub had been declared "off again" then "on again" over winter.
Lake Hawea Camping Ground and Holiday Accommodation manager Sarah Burdon said for most of the year they have about a 30% occupancy rate and "freedom campers will not go to a holiday park if they can get a free campsite''.
Council spokesman Jack Barlow said there will be a minimum of two staff on duty at the hubs from Monday to Sunday during the opening hours of 8am to 8pm.
Up to 12 ambassadors will be employed from November to April with a further four ambassadors over the peak season from mid-December through to the end of February.
Additional freedom camping officers will also be employed and although the number of staff is yet to be determined, "we are looking to approximately double the time spent undertaking enforcement", he said.
