The National Party has promised to set up 25 new camping grounds on Department of Conservation land if the party becomes the new government, but they are unlikely to be in Hawke's Bay, says Department of Conservation Hawke's Bay area manager Ken Hunt. Mr Hunt says the department would struggle tofind local beachfront land suitable for camping. National leader Don Brash made the announcement at Whangarei Heads' Tropicana camping ground, which will close on April 15 - one of 20 to shut in the past three years. The department had eight camping grounds in Hawke's Bay, from Lake Tutira and Mohaka to the Kawekas and Ruahines. Mr Hunt said he was reluctant to comment on National's promise, and had heard nothing about where the camps would be established, but said the party seemed to be pushing for coastal land. "The department manages very, very little coastal land. "There are very few existing sites in Hawke's Bay that will be suitable for camping." But National's Tukituki candidate Craig Foss said there was a huge piece of New Zealand that could be used for camping grounds. The closure of Mahia's Blue Bay camp highlighted the demise of the iconic Kiwi camping holiday, but Mr Foss acknowledged it was a tricky situation for camp owners. "It's very hard for someone whose land is worth an awful lot and they're charging someone $15 for a night." "It's a pretty smart idea really. Public land doesn't all have to be locked up in the library." National's Napier candidate Chris Tremain said councils could look at rezoning rural land for new camping grounds. "We may need to accept that existing campgrounds in current locations, like Blue Bay, may have outpriced themselves in comparison to what campgrounds can receive for the real estate," Mr Tremain said.
