Camping education making a difference

Camping education making a difference

Providing travellers with good information about camping in New Zealand is making a real difference to their behaviour, according to the New Zealand Responsible Camping Forum.

Campers are an important sector of New Zealand’s tourism industry, as they travel widely throughout the country, tend to stay a long time and spend money on a wide range of goods and activities.

Educational programmes, combined with a new fines regime, has resulted in more campers staying in holiday parks, Department of Conservation campsites and other designated areas, Forum Chairman and Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Advocacy Manager Geoff Ensor says.

The Forum brings together New Zealand’s leading campervan companies, the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, local government representatives, government agencies and tourism organisations.

The Forum is behind the ‘Where can I camp?’ campaign which provides camping information to travellers hiring campervans or wanting to camp in New Zealand. It has also developed the www.camping.org.nz website which offers comprehensive information on camping in New Zealand.

“Most visitors want to do the right thing, but they need to have good information that clearly shows where camping is acceptable. Doing the right thing doesn’t happen by chance,” Mr Ensor says.

The Forum’s work over the past four years has focused on giving visitors better information and achieving a united understanding of how to better manage camping around the country. Most of New Zealand’s major vehicle rental operators are giving responsible camping information to their clients, and the information is also available online, in car yards and on backpacker notice boards.

For the second consecutive summer, the Forum is working with the Interislander and Bluebridge ferry companies which are handing out responsible camping brochures to campers crossing Cook Strait.

The www.camping.org.nz website is receiving about 60,000 hits a year, and the most viewed pages are those carrying regional information.

The Freedom Camping Act passed last year allows councils to fine campers who ignore the rules, although the Forum is keen to see fines used as a last resort.

Marlborough District Council Reserves and Amenities Manager Rosie Bartlett says the council fully supports the efforts of the Responsible Camping Forum and its education efforts are working well in Marlborough.

“The number of complaints from the public regarding freedom campers parking in the wrong place has decreased enormously from the last few summers,” she says.

“The rangers have definitely noticed a huge increase in campers’ knowledge. Unfortunately we have had to issue one infringement notice (to campers working on a local vineyard) but only after our ranger made three requests over three nights to move to a designated site. They issued the notice on the fourth visit.”

James Rolleston of Spaceships says all the company’s clients are given access to good information on camping in New Zealand, both before they arrive and when they pick up their campervans.

“Camping info is on our website, booking confirmations and point of sale at reception areas. The end result is happy customers as they are aware of where they can camp, and there is less free camping,” he says.

He notes that since the Freedom Camping Law was enacted, the company has received only six camping infringement fines from more than 1000 hires.

“Our travellers are all surveyed with up to 20 questions on their return. These surveys show that most are staying in camping grounds, or other forms of accommodation.”
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