'Ignorant pigs' defecating in trees prompt outrage in Queenstown

Queenstown Lakes District Council staff are having to physically pick up human waste being left by freedom defecators across the district.

Council regulator manager Lee Webster is outraged at the mess council staff and members of the public are being forced to clean up, left by freedom campers who have opted to use trees and bushes instead of their own on-board toilets, or public facilities.

"It's absolutely disgusting and enough is enough," Mr Webster said.

"The vast majority [of freedom campers] are complying. They're doing what they need to do — they're camping in the right areas in certified self-contained vehicles.

"But we're still seeing, obviously, this increase in people defecating in the environment which we, literally, have to pick up.

"It's filthy. Absolutely filthy."

Mr Webster believed part of the problem was the standard required to meet the "self-contained" criteria to get certification — valid for three years — which he described as "a mockery" and, in many cases, had been assessed by independent assessors, for example, plumbers.

"You and I will look at cars [with certification] and go 'there is no way'.

"Who's going to use the loo in the back of a car?

"It's definitely part of [the problem] and it's increasingly frustrating [because] of these arrogant individuals, basically, who are just abusing our environment."

While new standards were introduced last year, Mr Webster said they had not gone far enough.

The council sought certification to require a "separate room". Instead, vehicles need to have an inside toilet able to be used with the bed made up.

But, even with "self-contained" certification, there was no way to force freedom campers to use their on-board facilities.

The council's Freedom Camping Bylaw, which under the Act enabled the council to protect the area for "health and safety reasons" would be reviewed this year and Mr Webster was trying to find ways to give it more teeth.

The behaviour of some freedom campers this summer would "clearly" have an impact on where they were permitted in future "because of the simple fact that we have to protect the area, and we're finding ... increased levels of people defecating in the trees".

"It's a bit like whack-a-mole.

"No matter what we do in one area, it pops up in another area.

"How do we deal with these ignorant pigs, basically, who are defecating in trees?

"I don't have an answer, but I'm [open] to any suggestions.

"The rest of the country is pretty much looking at Queenstown.

"They've reflected our bylaw that we have now for themselves, so we're just looking at the next side of things to go 'right, what else can we do?', because our community is sick of this."