Whanganui District Council has successfully applied for central Government funding to encourage responsible camping in the Whanganui District this summer.
A funding agreement between the Council and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will establish a freedom camping ambassador programme over the peak holiday season to educate campers on their responsibilities and promote compliant behaviour.
As well as providing information and advice about responsible camping and answering queries from visitors and the public, the temporary fixed-term ambassador role will also be used to collect information from freedom campers visiting our district and monitor camping sites.
"The critical aspect of this role at this point in time is to establish better understanding about freedom camping in Whanganui – this may include focusing on areas such as freedom camping site capability and visibility," says the Council’s compliance operations manager Warrick Zander.
"The Council will then be able to determine the merits of establishing a bylaw to improve our freedom camping visitor experience balanced with education in responsible camping."
MBIE funding for responsible camping initiatives must be for education, enforcement and-or ambassador programmes and temporary facilities during the 2019/20 summer period.
