At a meeting of the Wanaka Community Board yesterday, board member Ed Taylor said overnight parking was allowed at the airport but no-one was allowed to sleep in a building or hangar. However, there was nothing to prevent freedom campers from parking there, as they were public roads.
Queenstown Airport Corporation Ltd communications adviser Naomi Lindsay confirmed a complaint had been made by one of the airport tenants at a meeting of recreational pilots and commercial operators based at Wanaka airport.
She said at this stage it was "not a major problem but we have taken on board the feedback".
She said they had taken a "proactive and educational approach" and erected signs saying "no overnight camping" in the airport's three car parks and put up posters in all public areas, including the public toilets.
They would also be updating the airport website and were working with GeoZone, a network of free, GPS-enabled travel apps used by thousands of tourists in New Zealand, to say overnight camping was not allowed at the airport.
As Wanaka was not a certified airport, it had a boom gate and that would be lowered at 8pm instead of 10pm, Ms Lindsay said.
At the Wanaka Community Board meeting QLDC general manager corporate services Meaghan Miller said the council was due to sign the lease for Wanaka Airport very soon and the status of the roads within the airport would change.
The issue of freedom camping was also raised by the Mt Barker Residents Association.
President John Binney said freedom campers had recently started appearing on Mt Barker Rd.
He said first there was one, then three, then eight.
"The concern is it has got on some website and when the numbers are growing like that, it's the thin edge of the wedge."
Mr Binney said he was not sure what residents could do to prevent freedom camping there, as Mt Barker was outside the no freedom camping zone.
