Faafoi Kris: Freedom Camping Bill — In Committee 
Faafoi Kris: Freedom Camping Bill — In Committee 
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KRIS FAAFOI (Labour—Mana) 
: 
 Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to Part 2 of the Freedom Camping Bill. As many of the members on this side of the Chamber have made clear we think that Part 2 is another example of—no matter what you call it—over-the-top heavy-handed or sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut legislation. Part 2 again typifies what we think is a bit of an overreaction from the Government to what we see as a problem but not a significant-enough problem to basically take away the freedoms of Kiwis who have enjoyed freedom camping in some of our most pristine and beautiful places. Part 2 deals with where freedom camping is permitted. What is now in store for New Zealanders and visitors is that some of our most beautiful areas—beaches vistas and views—are no longer allowed to be enjoyed. One cannot park up have a look around and have a bit of a kip without having what could be called ablution police keeping an eye on us. 
I would like to open up a window to the world of what it would be like to be one of those people who will be forced to police this kind of law. What exactly will they be confronted with? I think that along with parking wardens the people who will be tasked with policing the Freedom Camping Bill will be in one of the most hated occupations for both New Zealanders and visitors to New Zealand. These people will be in some of our most pristine areas and they will be forced to sit in car-parks rest stop areas or places where one can look at some of the most beautiful views in New Zealand and be forced to snoop on what people are doing there. So for families sitting at home now I tell them that if they are out enjoying some time with the family at Christmas time—just as Kelvin Davis does—and they get caught short it will now be the job of some people to whack members of those families with a $200 instant fine if they are found defecating or urinating in some of those public places— 
Phil Twyford 
: Or just camping. 
KRIS FAAFOI 
:—or just camping; that is right. Families now run the risk of being slapped with what we think is an over-the-top $200 instant fine. We will have to hire people to do that kind of work. 
As Steve Chadwick said in her earlier contribution to the bill we do not need those people to do that kind of work. There are other means and ways to make sure we crack down on this problem. People hired by local bodies or by the Department of Conservation should not be doing that kind of work. They should not be snooping on people who are enjoying some of our most pristine areas. They should be making sure that other by-laws are being adhered to and that some of the flora fauna and wildlife in those areas is being saved. They should not be keeping an eye on people who are enjoying a night out under the stars in their sleeping bags—as Stuart Nash commented on earlier—to make sure they are not defecating or urinating in public areas. That is not their job and we do not believe that it should be their job to monitor that kind of behaviour in some of these areas. Again this bill is heavy-handed and a punitive measure that threatens the freedom to camp under the stars that Kiwis have enjoyed over generations. 
I would like to pick up a point that Stuart Nash made earlier about the definition of what freedom camping is and what short-term freedom camping in some of these brilliant areas is. My colleague Chris Hipkins pointed out that he has been on a number of camping expeditions where he has done that. I would like to know what will happen to the surfing expeditions now. It is not unknown for a young bunch of lads to jump in a car on a Friday night head to the beach and camp out for an early start on a Saturday morning to make sure they can get the early waves. Now under this legislation what will happen to that? It is unclear as to whether that is freedom camping. A lot of surfies will be sitting at home wondering what this National Government is doing to the freedom that they and their parents have enjoyed for many years which is to go and sleep under the stars or in their cars in some of those areas close to the beach so they can get the early morning waves. 
It also raises the possibility of freedom camping being effectively outlawed in large parts of the country and I think that is a sad by-product of this bill. It leaves uncertainty in the minds of Kiwis—can we park here can we sleep here or will we get a $200 fine? Now that uncertainty is there with many Kiwis and it will leave a lot of confusion for many Kiwi families who enjoy some of these most pristine areas.