Proposed Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw

Thanks for your question. Auckland Council enforcement staff operate on Waiheke Island, and will be responsible for monitoring compliance with the Bylaw and responding to freedom camping-related complaints on the island. 

Our Licensing and Compliance staff have a wide range of responsibilities in addition to managing freedom camping. Enforcement resources are allocated in line with the council’s risk-based, graduated enforcement model, which means the most urgent situations receive priority. 

Auckland Transport staff also operate on Waiheke Island to manage compliance with traffic rules, including any parking restrictions.

As noted in earlier answers, once the new Bylaw is adopted we will be monitoring activity and complaints to gather evidence for areas where further bans may be required, and could be justified under the Freedom Camping Act 2011.

Thank you for the questions.

In relation to your first question, there are currently a total of 11 areas for legal freedom camping in Auckland, all in the former Franklin District and Rodney District council areas, which together provide 93 parking spaces for freedom camping vehicles. These 11 sites are listed on the freedom camping page on the council website. There were more than 11 areas at one time, but camping has since been disallowed in some of the areas listed in the original Bylaw provisions (for example Arundel Reserve and Orewa Reserve) due to issues at those sites. 

In relation to your second question, the current Bylaw expires in 2022, and will be revoked to correspond with the date that the new Bylaw becomes operative (anticipated to be 1 September 2022). This means the new rules will replace the old rules from that date. 

See our reply to the next two questions (immediately below yours), for more about whether freedom camping would be allowed in any of those areas under the new Bylaw proposal. 

Note that: 

•    the Bylaw Panel will be considering all feedback before making final recommendations about where freedom camping should be prohibited and restricted through a new Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw 

•    Local Boards will make decisions about allowing freedom camping on any reserves in their areas when developing Reserve Management Plans/Local Parks Management Plans under the Reserves Act 1977.

Thanks for your question. The council's Governing Body decided in March 2021 to continue to manage all camping on reserves under the Reserves Act 1977 and exclude them from the scope of the Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw.

This doesn’t necessarily mean freedom camping can’t occur at any reserves in future, only that allowing it at a reserve will need to be considered in accordance with the intent and requirements of the Reserves Act 1977, rather than the (more permissive) Freedom Camping Act 2011. 

Council is currently developing a new omnibus Local Parks Management Plan which will cover all of the local parks and reserves in the Rodney Local Board area. As part of this process, the Rodney Local Board will be considering whether it would be appropriate to continue to allow freedom camping in some Reserves Act reserves in Rodney, including the existing areas in Snells Beach. The Board will consider both the positive and negative impacts freedom camping can have in making its decision.

The Board will seek feedback from the local community on the draft Local Parks Management Plan before it is finalised. The draft Plan is expected to be released for consultation in May 2022, so do keep an eye out for it if you'd like your views considered.

Thanks for your question. 

If the new Bylaw proposal is adopted, it would replace the current Bylaw, including the current legal freedom camping areas.

Under the Bylaw proposal freedom camping would be banned at: 

• the named prohibited areas
• other areas controlled by council where freedom camping is already prohibited under another enactment (such as reserves and regional parks).

Under the Bylaw proposal, freedom camping would be allowed at: 

• the named restricted areas (subject to site-specific conditions)
• all other areas not otherwise prohibited or restricted (subject to the general rules).

This means if an area is not specifically named in the proposal, the general rules would apply there, unless it is a reserve or regional park. 

If there is a specific area you are interested in and you don't know if it is a reserve or regional park, you can email us on freedomcampingbylaw@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we can check for you. Click here to read why we can't currently provide a list of all reserves in Auckland.

Thank you for the question. You can view the operative Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw 2015 on the council website here. This is the first link in the 'Important Links' section at the bottom right of the page. We've now also added a PDF file of the Bylaw to the 'Key Documents' bar nearer the top right of the page, to make it easier to find and download.

Thanks for your question. If a particular vehicle is causing a problem – for example blocking your driveway access or making excessive noise – you can call our call centre on 09 301 0101 to request an enforcement response. If someone’s behaviour is causing you concern for your safety, please notify the Police.

The Freedom Camping Act 2011 gives people the legal right to freedom camp on public land in Auckland, including on public roadsides. Council can make a bylaw to limit this right, but we can only prohibit freedom camping in areas by exception, and where the area meets the criteria set out in the Act. Freedom camping in residential areas is not, in itself, grounds for a ban under this legislation. 

If freedom camping is regularly causing a problem in an area in future, we encourage you to report the activity to us so we can gather the evidence we need to justify a ban.