As John Cousins reported yesterday, freedom camping is "out of control" at Mount Maunganui, with one beachfront overnight park-up spot crowded with 17 vehicles when only one was permitted. Read more about that story here.
Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club member Dennis Mundy claims the campers hog parks needed by volunteer lifeguards and the hundreds who arrived on Sunday mornings for junior surf sessions.
Tourism is at record levels, which should be good for the local economy, but the estimated 44,000 freedom campers who come here each summer are not boosting the coffers of local campsites but, as Mundy says, are unlikely to spend large in town.
In fact not only are they an inconvenience to locals trying to find parking but they may be costing us money - with many vans not having self-contained toilets, the campers are using public amenities which are often overwhelming local councils.
There is potentially a huge environmental cost with people washing clothes and themselves in our waterways and leaving rubbish behind or putting scraps down toilets.
Plus allowing freedom campers allows the Government to turn a blind eye to the amount of New Zealanders who are homeless and really sleeping rough in vans, far from any idea of a holiday.
It is romantic nostalgia to want to keep allowing freedom camping as part of the "Kiwi way", as not only could negligent freedom campers destroy the Kiwi way by damaging the environment but why should they get something for free?
Tourists are welcome but just as in all other parts of the world they need to contribute to the local economy and pay up to park up.
