PM addresses call to change laws on pooing in public

There is a push to overhaul the law on fines for public defecation. Photo / Thomas Bywater

Believe it or not, you can poo in public in New Zealand, as long as you're not being watched. But there are calls to change the controversial law.

If you have to go, you have to go, but "just bury it 50m away" – that's what a New Zealand camping association has proposed.

A quirk in the laws mean that, while you can be fined for urinating or defecating in a public place (other than a public lavatory), if you can provide a reasonable explanation for believing you weren't being watched, you can escape the $200 fine.

But now, as a Kiwi camping organisation has called to tighten the controversial rule, the Prime Minister has become involved, issuing her own stern warning to those who poo in public – albeit with the odd giggle.

You can be fined for urinating or defecating in a public place other than a public lavatory without an excuse. Photo / File

The Responsible Campers Association Inc (RCAI) is responsible for "freedom camping" in New Zealand – basically when people camp on public land free of charge.

Their push to overhaul the law comes amid long-running allegations that campers are to blame for much of the human waste in the natural environment.

Bob Osborne, a spokesman for the RCAI, said the group wants people to poo 50m away from waterways and to bury their droppings at least 15cm below ground.

"The thing that seems to offend most people now is seeing that visual aftermath of someone having done it," he told The Project hosts on Wednesday.

"If people bury their waste, you actually eliminate that problem.

"If there are no facilities, bury it. Don't leave it for people to walk in or people to see," he said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also appeared on the program to address the controversy surrounding the law.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared to weigh in on the issue Photo / Mark Mitchell

"There is no intention to change what I consider to be basic hygiene standards," she said.

"I can promise you there will not be people defecating in the streets."

The calls to the alter the unique legislation come after the RCAI felt campers were being "targeted" with new legislation requiring all campervans to have toilets on board.

The advocacy group, which started in 2017, recently hit the country's headlines about its impact on the environment, especially when it comes to campers' personal waste.

And Mr Osborne has in the past said it is unfair to blame freedom campers for the country's public poo problems.

"There is no evidence linking any specific group to this undesirable practice which affects travellers every day all over New Zealand," he told The Guardian earlier this month.

The group believes minimising "the more undesirable aftermath" would be the most appropriate way of addressing the problem in the short-term, but that more toilet facilities for travellers would be the best long-term solution.