Controls on foreign ownership of land will help save camping sites
Press Release from Russel Norman, Green Party Co-Leader
The announcement by Conservation Minister Chris Carter, that there has been a significant decline in the numbers of
upper North Island commercial camping sites, is yet more evidence of the need to take some of the development pressure
off coastal land by restricting foreign ownership of land, says the Green Party.
"Chris Carter's announcement, at the New Zealand Recreation Summit in Wellington today, of a new Department of
Conservation report showing a big drop in commercial camping sites is another wake-up call," says Russel Norman, Green
Party Co-Leader.
"The film The Last Resort graphically documented just one case of the loss of coastal camping grounds but Chris Carter's
comments are an official acknowledgement of the extent of this process," says Dr. Norman, the Green Party Economics
Spokesperson.
"It is extremely worrying that one third of all commercial camping sites in the Coromandel have been lost in the last
decade.
"Anecdotal evidence from coastal dwellers all around New Zealand shows that one of the big pressures to develop coastal
land comes from non-residents wanting a slice of New Zealand paradise. It's understandable that non-residents want to
own property here but not at the expense of residents and Kiwi's summer holidays.
"Chris Carter's idea to develop more DoC camping sites is a good one but we also need to take some of the heat out of
the coastal property market by restricting the sale of land to overseas owners.
"The Overseas Investment Commission did a dreadful job protecting New Zealand land from foreign ownership, the
Government should direct the new Overseas Investment Office of LINZ to do a better job."
Ends