John Curry went to the Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Community Board to call for a ban on freedom camping in Robinsons Bay, citing defecation, littering and restricted access.
Curry, chair of the Robinsons Bay Residents’ and Ratepayers Association, said campers typically set up in a rest area off State Highway 75, on a road leading to the bay’s wharf and parking area.
The rest area is governed by NZTA, while Christchurch City Council has jurisdiction over the road and the parking area.
“There’s no toilet facilities and freedom campers are supposed to have their own onboard toilet, but some simply don’t have them at all,” Curry said.
“People are going to the toilet along the beach area or in the bushes close by.”
Freedom camping is prohibited in Wainui, French Farm, Ōnuku, Purau, Port Levy, Takamatua and Ōnawe, but not in Robinsons Bay.
Curry proposed granting the city council “local authority” jurisdiction over the NZTA-controlled rest area and asked it to designate the jetty road and parking area as prohibited under the Freedom Camping Bylaw 2021.
He also wants the city council to seek written consent from NZTA chief executive Brett Gliddon to treat the rest area as “local authority land”.
But a city council spokesperson said the issue cannot be solved simply with an administrative agreement.
“The issue of regulating with a freedom camping bylaw is complex, and there are statutory processes and thresholds to meet,” the spokesperson said.
“It requires a bylaw amendment, and any amendment must align with the assessment criteria in the Act.
“Careful consideration is required and the city council is currently reviewing the options available.”
The city council has asked its enforcement contractor to take an educational approach to freedom campers to encourage better behaviour.
Local resident Lee Robinson, a consultant at law firm Saunders Robinson Brown, said he would examine the legislation for solutions.
“It’s a matter of NZTA and the council getting together and working out where their jurisdiction starts and finishes and how that sits with the act,” he said.
“It’s unsatisfactory when you’ve got people in public areas defecating and abusing the area.”
He estimated a resolution could take a few months.
Banks Peninsula ward councillor Tyrone Fields said he would prefer to see freedom camping banned entirely from the peninsula.
“We have lots of really good camping grounds on Banks Peninsula and I’d love to see them more utilised,” he said.
“I just want to see freedom camping gone from the peninsula.”
Curry said freedom campers are common in the bay all year round, but the numbers ramp up over summer.
“You might get three or four down in the wharf area and maybe half a dozen around the rest area,” he said.
Splitting responsibility between NZTA and the city council has led to “buck passing” in the past, Curry said.
Said Fields: “Our response to people should be, ‘we will work with our partners in government to resolve the issue’.
“I really detest buck passing.”
NZTA regional relationships director James Caygill said discussions with the city council are ongoing.
“The NZTA maintenance contractor in the area will continue to check the rest area and remove rubbish where necessary. If rubbish or the state of the rest area is a problem, then we encourage people to let us know so that we can pass it on to our contractor.”
Fields said he is sympathetic to the residents’ concerns and will support them, however he can.
“It’s something I’d like to keep on top of and I expect regular updates (from council staff).”
