Freedom Camping – Educate!

26/11/2009 5:52:13 PM

Freedom Camping - Educate, don't Prosecute!

At KEA we have always prided ourselves on being one of New Zealand’s most respected motorhome and campervan companies and in October that was confirmed when we were recognised for our commitment to sustainable tourism by being awarded a Qualmark Enviro-Gold rating.

Designed to help consumers recognise top performing green businesses, the rating is assessed against environmental practices and acknowledges businesses like ours for initiatives in energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation and community activities.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility have always been a top priority for us at KEA. Our directive is to operate the most environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient motorhomes and campervans on the market, as well as taking a holistic view of how we support the environment and the New Zealand economy. We see sustainability as encompassing the habits of our customers and staff, working with the community, reducing waste going to landfill, reducing fuel and energy usage and showing constant innovation in the development of our product.

KEA has the most environmentally-friendly vehicles in the industry. Every vehicle coming out of our factory features solar paneling, renewable and recyclable materials used in the construction process, the most advanced emission control standards, best-practice waste management systems and the lowest fuel consumption rates of any campervan rental company across Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa.

Here in New Zealand, KEA is also Green Globe benchmarked and as most of you will know we were the first campervan and motorhome company to have vehicles certified self-contained through the NZMCA, something we are very proud of. Qualmark is New Zealand tourism's official mark of quality. All accommodation and tourism businesses that carry the Qualmark logo have been independently assessed on their environmental performance, so travellers can book their travels and buy with confidence. For more information on Qualmark visit www.qualmark.co.nz.

Another issue which I believe needs some serious debate is the one surrounding freedom camping. The Freedom Camping Forum was convened last year by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) following growing concerns about the impacts of freedom camping in several parts of the country. The object of this forum was the development of a “responsible freedom camping code” setting out education and advice for visitors on respecting the environment and camping responsibly including information on acceptable disposal of toilet waste and rubbish, and links to information about where freedom camping is allowed.

But the Coromandel has recently made freedom camping illegal and people caught camping or overnight parking will be fined. In my opinion New Zealand as a whole took a backward step when Coromandel banned freedom camping, all it will do is make criminals out of a lot of innocent people whose only crime is to enjoy some of our fantastic scenery and beaches, which I believe is our right as Kiwis anyway.

In 2011 when New Zealand is on the world stage for the rugby world cup our “100% Pure New Zealand” reputation will be on view and our reputation as a pristine country will be on the line. There will be a massive amount of people visiting our shores from all parts of the world to follow their teams and they’ll be travelling in cars, boats, planes and motorhomes. We know that all those people renting campers from KEA will have vehicles that are self contained that could be taken into the Corommandel and would leave no trace when they leave, but there will be some who will either buy an old clanger or rent a cheapie that may not be self contained….but guess what, they’re still going to travel to the likes of Coromandel or wherever and they will free camp, they’ll just be sneaky about it, and you know some of them will do the wrong thing as well but you can’t legislate against that and expect it to stop happening.

Trying to stop freedom camping won’t work ……………..We need to educate not prosecute!

For more information on KEA’s sustainability strategy and environmentally friendly camping holidays, visit www.keacampers.co.nz or call us on 0800 52 00 55 toll free from anywhere in New Zealand.