Campers fear DoC deals

DoC has been marking out new campsites at Port Jackson on the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Keith Levy

Campers are outraged to learn that the Department of Conservation is in talks about handing over camping grounds to private companies to run them at a profit.

The Herald on Sunday has learned of discussions between the department and a holiday parks association about coping with growing demand for campsites.

One option on the table includes handing over DoC campsites to private operators through a lease or management contract.

At present, the department charges a small nightly fee to allow the public to camp at some of the most beautiful and unspoiled spots in the country.

Campers fear that private management would ruin the DoC camp experience and more than 1000 have signed a petition to try to stop changes to existing DoC camps.

One signatory is Margaret Lange. She said her brother, the late prime minister David Lange, "would be appalled" at the idea.

New Zealand Holiday Parks Association chief executive Fergus Brown said the association was working with DoC to provide "more camping opportunities" for New Zealanders. "We're working with DoC to increase the capacity of provision without necessarily getting new parks," he said.

"There's a number of different options we can look at."

These included "leasing them to developers who might be able to improve facilities".

A DoC spokesman said there were no price increases, leases or outsourcing planned but they were "certainly an option" for the future.

"There has been some discussion and interest in opportunities for increased camping experiences for some time," he said.

Campers at the Port Jackson campground on the Coromandel fear new roading and marked campsites are a sign the department plans to lease the camp out to third-party operators. Camper Keith Levy has gathered more than 1000 signatures opposing the installation of bollards, marked campsites and new roading at the camp.

"I'm sure they are going to lease the campsites out. After they've installed the infrastructure they will lease the campsites out to a third party commercial operator," said Levy.

But Fergus Brown said the fears were unjustified.

"There's only a very small number which would be likely to be commercially viable," he said.

"All we're trying to do here is provide more opportunities for New Zealanders." He said there had been a resurgence in popularity of camping and holiday park experiences.

Green MP Catherine Delahunty has met the Port Jackson campers. She said: "It would be economically as well as socially inefficient to turn these people off by making these camping grounds into suburban boxes that people go on holiday to get away from."

Massey teacher Kel Anglesey has been using the camps at Port Jackson for about 20 years. He said: "What we love about the place is how wild and unkempt it is."