Proposed Nelson Freedom Camping Ban Useless Without Enforcement - Locals

Wednesday, 9 April 2025, 8:52 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

"Pooping" in bushes and public urination are hoped to reduce under a proposed freedom camping ban for three Nelson sites, but a business owner says the rules need to be enforced to make a difference.

Campers would not be allowed at Kinzett Terrace, Isel Park, or the Maitai Valley cricket ground under Nelson City Council's draft Responsible Camping Bylaw, which is now out for consultation.

The three locations are magnets for freedom camping complaints, cumulatively receiving more than 240 over the last two and a half years.

However, there would be a net increase in freedom camping spaces in the central city carparks, particularly Buxton and Montgomery Squares, as part of an offset for the loss in other areas.

The time limit for campers would remain at the current limit of two nights, twice a month, per location.

Kinzett Terrace itself has seen "numerous complaints and police call outs… relating to threatening [and] abusive behaviour, and blocked access" from both commercial tenants and other freedom campers.

"It's really not the experience that we'd be wanting our visitors having," said Paul Harrington, the council's principal parks and facilities activity planner.

He added that there will always be non-self-contained freedom campers.

"They do generally want to do the right thing, and offering somewhere that's appropriate is likely to reduce numbers in less appropriate areas, which should in turn reduce enforcement costs."

Kinzett Terrace lessee Brad Josse, owner of Results Gym, said the area wasn't a problem with freedom camping until enforcement action stopped about two years ago.

"Campers without toilets began pooping in the bushes on a regular basis. This became an open thing, where people would not even bother to conceal themselves but would simply squat in plain sight," he said.

In addition, the quantity of rubbish resulted in "the entire alley [being] covered with food waste, which attracted vermin" and the carpark being so congested he couldn't leave.

Drug sales and use also prompted Josse to call the police on several occasions.

"Regardless of what laws the council passes, if they do not enforce them, I do not see any potential for positive change."

Graham Wilson, chair of the Nelson Tasman branch of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, echoed similar sentiments.

While he said that some freedom campers were "fantastic", Wilson was concerned about the tidiness and amenity of the central city if more campers were present.

"It's just the few that spoil it," he said. "I worry that the council in Nelson may regret bringing them into town if they're not controlled."

The council would have to actively enforce the rules and provide appropriate facilities for the campers to use to ensure they were well-behaved and tidy, he said.

"As long as that's got some control, I think it'll be fine."

He thought most freedom campers were travelling "the cheapest way they could" and would gravitate to free camping sites, regardless of the area's amenity, and would be unlikely to spend much in the local economy.

It would be up to ratepayers to decide if they wanted to fund the regulation and necessary infrastructure to provide for freedom campers, he added.

Harrington noted that if the proposed bylaw was adopted, the council would likely have to increase its budget to enforce the rules and install the necessary signage.

Mayor Nick Smith said the proposed changes would help protect the "really important" local tourism industry's social license.

"These are real problems. I've been down to Isel Park, where we have provision for three vans, and I've seen 20 vans. I've seen piles of rubbish. We have had reports of people urinating in public … unruly behaviour that our police have had to deal with," he said.

"I think our council would be negligent if it did not respond to that level of community concern."

Homelessness has been removed from the national definition of freedom camping and won't be regulated under the bylaw.

The council's draft Responsible Camping Bylaw is now open for consultation until 7 May.

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