Council welcomes funding to encourage responsible camping
31 August 2019

Mayor Rachel Reese welcomes the announcement from the Ministry of Business, Industry and Employment (MBIE) that funding of $256,000 has been awarded from the Responsible Camping fund to help manage the impact of campers on Nelson City over the coming summer season.

“Nelson is a hugely popular spot for visitors. We always want to make them welcome and share our wonderful city with them. However, we’ve been active in managing the impact of camping on our city, and this funding will be a great help for us to achieve even better outcomes for this season,” Mayor Reese says.

The central government fund is intended to help improve visitor behaviour by encouraging responsible camping.

Locally the funding will be used to extend Council’s camping ambassador education programme, establish a temporary toilet and washroom hub in a convenient central location, increase facilities for campers’ waste management and recycling and to run a user survey during the season.

Increasing educational patrols to promote responsible camping, and providing targeted facilities for campers, should help reduce the impact of camping on the environment and community during the summer season.

Usually, Council runs patrols from 1 December to 31 March. The funding means extra staff can be provided, and the patrols can be extended from Labour Day to Anzac Day. The patrols focus on education as well as enforcement if needed.

Council will also provide a temporary shower and toilet site for responsible campers, to reduce pressure on public facilities. Solar-powered compacting bins will be installed at three key sites to make sure facilities can cope with the extra recycling and waste generated by campers.

There will also be a user survey of campers in the district to find out more about their needs and to help develop future responsible camping strategies.

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