One week left in Freedom Camping Bylaw amendments consultation

You have until 4pm on Monday, 19 October, to have your say on proposed amendments to our Freedom Camping Bylaw.

The amendments are very limited; just seven sites across the District: in Hikutaia, Thames, Te Puru, Port Charles, Matarangi, Opito Bay and Pauanui - and how they are classified in the bylaw.

Council is proposing to remove one site from the bylaw, introduce one site into the bylaw, change the classification on four of the sites and proposing to leave one classification the same. We are now seeking public feedback on each of these.

In the nine months our Freedom Camping Bylaw has been operational, we've had positive feedback from campers, ratepayers and our staff about how freedom camping now works in the Coromandel.

The focus on these seven sites reflects feedback from staff and the public about freedom camping specifically in those areas and how we may improve this in time for the summer.

Our Freedom Camping Bylaw sets out our rules for freedom camping on Council land in the district. As a general rule, the Freedom Camping Act allows for freedom camping on local authority land. However, we have a number of high-profile areas which are prohibited for freedom camping under the Act, and others which are restricted to a designated freedom camping area.

The other key rule we have is that all vehicles for freedom camping must be certified self-contained. This certification comes from the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association and more information on what this includes and how to get certified can be found on their website - www.nzmca.org.nz/self-containment

To view close-up maps of each site, read more on the proposed amendments and tell us what you think of them, go to our consultation portal

You can submit online through the consultation portal or,
email your submission to customer.services@tcdc.govt.nz,
post to Thames-Coromandel District Council, Private Bag, Thames,
fax to (07) 868 0234,
drop off your submission at one of the Council offices in Thames, Coromandel, Whitianga or Whangamata.

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