Responsible Campers Association has today announced they will seek a change to the law that allows defecation in public if a person believes they would not be observed doing so.

Spokesman for the group, Bob Osborne explains;

“At the moment section 32 of the Summary offence Act provides a legal defence to a charge of urinating or defecating in a public place if a person believes they will not be observed.

While many groups and NIMBY’s like to blame freedom campers, there is no evidence linking any specific group to this undesirable practise which affects travellers every day all over New Zealand.

As an advocacy group for freedom campers, it has been noted that it is not so much the action which creates concern, but the visible after effects.

As such we seek a small change in Section 32 so it reads at subsection 2,

It is a defence in a prosecution under this section if the defendant proves that

A/ they had reasonable grounds for believing that they would not be observed and

B/ The business is done at least 50 metres from a waterway and

C/ The waste is buried to a minimum depth of 15cms

*Note that all 3 criteria must be present for a defence”

There is no law in New Zealand that forces one to poop their pants if caught short, and RCAi believes minimizing the more undesirable aftermath, would be the most appropriate way of addressing the problem in the short term while provision of more toilet facilities for the travelling public of New Zealand would be the most appropriate long term solution, with NZTA funding such facilities along State- highways.

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