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Far North to ban freedom camping

22.08.2026 13:10 1 min 1 source РУС
RNZ ENG

The Far North District Council will ban freedom camping starting next month. Several councils have complained about visitors parking on roadside verges and at beauty spots and using them as toilets. According to the Far North, banning campervans from those places may also help keep tourists safe. Tourists who flout the ban will be issued instant fines. Meanwhile, police in Kaitaia are still looking for two men who last month beat and robbed three French tourists who were parked overnight in a layby near Mangamuka.

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Far North to ban freedom camping

22.08.2026 RNZ ENG Original source

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A council meeting in Christchurch heard complaints from New Brighton residents about freedom campers urinating, defecating, and leaving rubbish at a Beresford Street car park, with some campers also reported as intimidating. Local resident Eric Banks proposed temporary relocation of campers to council campgrounds like Spencer Park or South Brighton, and a long-term bylaw to give the council more enforcement power. Councillor Andrew Turner suggested a freedom camping hotline for clearer resident-council communication.

Source: RNZ ENG

New Zealand's Conservation Minister Nick Smith has called for stricter rules on freedom camping in his Nelson constituency. He says the situation at sites like Millers Acre has become 'completely out of control' this summer, with up to 40 campervans parking nightly in the central city to avoid campground fees, many in a lot adjacent to the Department of Conservation office. Smith has received numerous complaints that the makeshift campground makes Nelson look 'cheap and shabby'. The city council currently allows freedom camping near public toilets, but Smith urges adopting a policy banning non-self-contained campervans from urban areas.

Source: RNZ ENG

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