Editorial: The good news
Miriam Richardson
The really good news came from the Westland District Council in January this year. In their peak Christmas/New Year season, there were about 170,000 camper-nights in their region, and only 47 infringements issued (0.03%).
Small towns can take heart, as they welcome freedom campers to their area. Most campers are able to contain their rubbish and all waste products for 3 days and are able to stay and leave no trace (cycle campers and some car campers will plan their route around public toilets).
We use to call this ability to contain waste ‘self-containment’ but we need a new word now our parliament has decided a toilet screwed to the floor is a necessary part of ‘self-containment’.
Keeping the focus on leaving no trace, ‘tiaki — care for New Zealand’, is the way forward for small towns, campers of all kinds, and for regional and district councils, as they consider how to welcome visitors to their areas.
Self containment changes in brief
This issue is kindly sponsored by the All Points Camping Club of NZ and NZ Lifestyle Camping.
8/05/24
Until Jun 6 2023 we called the ability to contain your waste for 3 days ‘self-containment.’
