Buyer fined $200 for sleeping in his new caravan says Napier council lacks 'compassion'

Ross Salter was given a $200 freedom camping ticket after "resting up" in Westshore in his newly purchased caravan. Photo / Supplied

A Whangarei man who bought a caravan in Napier in an attempt at a money making exercise didn't even make it out of the city before it started to cost him.

Ross Salter "rested up" in Westshore for the night after driving to Napier to buy an old caravan, only to wake up with a $200 freedom camping ticket on his window.

Salter said he did not want to commit to the second half of his 1200km round-trip back home at night and he had just picked the safest spot he could find to park up.

He says the Napier City Council's no-warning ticketing policy lacks "old-fashioned compassion", particularly at a time when camping numbers in the city are low.

Napier City Council says Salter has the ability to ask for the infringement notice to be reviewed.

"He also has the ability to appeal the notice through the courts," an NCC spokeswoman said.

The 57-year-old woke up to on September 2 to the ticket, which had been processed at 3.39am that morning.

Salter, who had been made unemployed due to Covid-19, said he purchased the caravan, which was not self-contained at the time, as a "fixer-upper project to make a little money".

"I find it sad that we've come to these hard and fast laws," he said. "I really feel the fine doesn't fit what I have done."

"I have not paid the fine and currently do not have the ability to do so."

Salter said he would have liked the opportunity to speak with the person who ticketed him to explain his situation.

"Give me a verbal notification and see that I leave and comply - that would be the old school Kiwi way of dealing with it," he said.

Salter said not being clued up on bylaws was no defence, and he should have checked into a motor camp, but that would have eaten into the profit he was trying to make on the caravan.

"I have now read the law and will be much more diligent in the future. The lesson is to do research."