Waiting whitebaiters fined for 'freedom camping'

File photo / APN

Greymouth whitebaiters taking a nap between tides or waiting in their cars to claim a spot on the river have been pinged with instant fines for "freedom camping".

One long-time whitebaiter said he was fined as he waited for dawn to claim his position on the Blaketown side of the Grey River.

"I arrived about 5.30am and the ticket officer plonked a fine on my car for breaking the freedom camping rules," Mick Farlane said yesterday.

It was the first time he had been fined in the 15 years he had been whitebaiting on the river.

"I know there are freedom camping laws in place, but it was obvious I wasn't camping there and that I was a whitebaiter.

"The fellow who issues the tickets needs to show some common sense," Mr Farlane said.

"I understand [the ticketing officer] has a job to do, but he could have at least asked what I was doing."

Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn agreed that it was a step too far.

He said there was a distinct difference between tourists parking up in vehicles that were not self-contained, and people just wanting to get the best whitebaiting spots.

"It's not fair to ping the whitebaiters -- there is an unspoken rule that has been put out there about leaving the whitebaiters alone," Mr Kokshoorn said.

Council chief executive Paul Pretorius said whitebaiters fined for freedom camping were able to appeal their tickets.

He was unaware of any unspoken rule that whitebaiters would not be ticketed, and said fishermen needed to speak up and let the council officer know what they were up to and that they had "possibly just arrived".

"The officer does get some weird excuses from people, but maybe whitebaiters need to say 'hey I'm a local' and the ticket may have been avoided," Mr Pretorius said.

The Greymouth Star has had further calls from annoyed whitebaiters who have been ticketed.