After multiple complaints about freedom camping at Gulf Harbour’s Hammerhead Reserve, Auckland Council looks set to tackle the issue.
Since January last year, nine complaints have been made about freedom camping at the reserve, with little effect.
Council’s compliance team have said they will now go as far as trespassing freedom campers who do not adhere with the reserve’s two night stay rule.
Resident Roxy Baty walks around Hammerhead Reserve daily and has seen the same vehicles parked there for a year.
She made a complaint this month, but was told the compliance team could not respond at that time and the complaint was closed.
“Perhaps we, as locals, should move in down there with our motorhomes, too. Not sure what happened to enforcing bylaws,” Baty said.
After Hibiscus Matters began looking into the issue, Baty received a further reply from the compliance team, changing their tune.
The reply said freedom campers who were issued a bylaw notice and didn’t comply with the rules would be trespassed from the Hammerhead.
“We are now getting some traction. It is a big turnaround from last week’s email,” Baty said.
Compliance response and investigations manager Kerri Fergusson said the majority of complaints on record were made last month.
Over the Christmas shutdown, Council received more than 250 complaints about freedom camping across the Auckland region.
Fergusson said priority was given to jobs that were an immediate risk to public safety.
