NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Freedom campers cop more than 150 fines so far this summer

Kiri Gillespie
By Kiri Gillespie
Assistant News Director and Multimedia Journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
1 Feb, 2018 09:12 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      5
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Freedom campers Pat and Julie O'Sullivan stick to the rules but get fed up at being tarred with the same brush as other campers who don't.

      More than 150 fines have been issued to people breaching freedom camping rules in the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty areas over the festive season.

      From December 11, 2017, to January 21, 2018, a total of 104 complaints were received by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Tauranga City Council and a total of 156 infringement notices were issued.

      In Tauranga, there were 66 complaints about freedom campers at 35 locations. The complaints resulted in 136 fines. In the Western Bay, 48 complaints were received and 20 fines were issued.

      A Tauranga City Council spokeswoman said the top locations for offending freedom campers were at Papamoa Beach Rd, Marine Parade, Oropi Rd and Pacific Ave.

      Western Bay locations where the fines were issued included Anzac Bay, Tuna Ave, Bowentown Domain, Seaforth Road Reserve, Island View Reserve, The Esplanade, and Waihi Beach Surf Club.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Western Bay council compliance and monitoring manager Alison Curtis said fines of $200 were issued where there was failure to comply with instructions of council contractors and breaches of the council's bylaw.

      Fines were given for camping in prohibited areas and for camping in permitted areas in vehicles that were not self-contained, she said.

      New Zealand Motorhome Caravan Association members Julie and Pat O'Sullivan are annoyed people were ignoring rules and giving freedom campers like themselves a bad rap.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "That makes the rest of us angry," Mrs O'Sullivan said.

      "It's the people who aren't self-contained that are the problem but we all get tarred with the same brush and it's not on."

      The retired couple were parked at Mount Maunganui's Marine Parade on Friday afternoon to be near their daughter competing in the weekend's surf lifesaving champs at Main Beach. They were booked in at a camping spot in Tauriko for that night.

      It was the ease of such mobility that was a big attraction to freedom camping, Mrs O'Sullivan said.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      Day trippers blamed in Matakana Island protest

      10 Jan 11:47 PM
      New Zealand

      Freedom camper washes undies in drinking fountain

      07 Mar 12:25 AM

      "You can go anywhere you like basically but we get turfed out because people think we will make a mess but it's the young ones in vans that seem to be the problem."

      The couple has owned their self-contained campervan for 12 years and been all over New Zealand in it. They would not dream of travelling anywhere without such necessities, she said.

      "We are from Taupo and it's a big issue down there," Mrs O'Sullivan said.

      Mr O'Sullivan said there seemed to be an anti-motorhome element in New Zealand which he felt was unfair.

      "They call us white slugs on the road but we, legally, have to travel at 90km/h, the same as trucks. We always pull over and let people piled up behind us past," he said.

      Freedom camping - What are the rules?

      Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council bylaws state only campers with self-contained vehicles can lawfully park in freedom camping areas and it must meet the Caravan Self-Containment Certification Standard.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The unit must be able to be lived in for three days without getting more water or without dumping waste. It must have a toilet, freshwater storage and wastewater storage, she said.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      The Country: Aaron Cruden on All Blacks v France second test

      11 Jul 02:21 AM
      New Zealand

      'It wasn't a free choice': Nurse with vaccine injury felt 'betrayed'

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      New Zealand

      Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

      11 Jul 02:00 AM

      From early mornings to easy living

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      In Brazil, Trump faces a country — and a leader — ready for a fight
      World

      In Brazil, Trump faces a country — and a leader — ready for a fight

      11 Jul 02:01 AM
      Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery
      Bay of Plenty Times

      Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      'It wasn't a free choice': Nurse with vaccine injury felt 'betrayed'
      New Zealand

      'It wasn't a free choice': Nurse with vaccine injury felt 'betrayed'

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      Keen to try out makeup for men? One expert shares the three products you need in your starter kit
      Viva - Beauty

      Keen to try out makeup for men? One expert shares the three products you need in your starter kit

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes
      New Zealand

      'Threat to life': Tasman District upgraded to red warning; floodwater enters homes

      11 Jul 01:53 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      The Country: Aaron Cruden on All Blacks v France second test

      The Country: Aaron Cruden on All Blacks v France second test

      11 Jul 02:21 AM

      Chris Brandolino, Aaron Cruden, Sandra Matthews, Richard Dawkins, Emma Poole, Tim Dangen.

      'It wasn't a free choice': Nurse with vaccine injury felt 'betrayed'

      'It wasn't a free choice': Nurse with vaccine injury felt 'betrayed'

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

      Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

      11 Jul 02:00 AM
      Rain sets in at Riwaka

      Rain sets in at Riwaka

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search