Western Bay of Plenty Council will be receiving $133,032 from Government to support responsible camping.

The funding will be used for monitoring and enforcement, and continuation of the Freedom Camping Education Programme.

The Government has partnered with 38 councils so more communities around the country can benefit from funding to support responsible camping, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.

Nearly $8 million across the 38 councils will fund a wide range of activities, including continued provision of real time data to campers at selected campsites, the expansion of Tourism New Zealand's successful education campaign and a project to explore zoning areas in Kaikoura District.

'Our Government wants to continue supporting our regions to thrive and to enrich our country through sustainable tourism growth. Part of this means providing critical funding to improve the freedom camping experience for everyone,” says Kelvin.

'This summer we will again provide important facilities for visitors, but we've also come up with innovative solutions that make great use of technology to better share information, help people camp responsibly, and encourage campers to act as guardians of New Zealand.”

The Summer 2019/20 Responsible Camping funding round closed on June 14. The funding is made available for operating costs including education and enforcement projects, ambassador programmes, as well as temporary facilities like showers and toilets.

'I'd like to acknowledge local councils for working together with us on these projects,” says Kelvin. 'I'd also like to thank the Responsible Camping Working Group for their guidance on helping to improve the camping system.

"Visitors and local communities alike will benefit from this investment. I'm looking forward to another successful summer,” says Kelvin.

The Responsible Camping Working Group members are Mayor Hon Steve Chadwick, Rotorua District; Mayor Jim Boult, Queenstown Lakes District; Mayor Tim Cadogan, Central Otago District; Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner, Christchurch City; Chris Roberts, Tourism Industry Aotearoa; Grant Webster, Tourism Holdings Limited; Bruce Lochore, New Zealand Motor Caravan Association; a senior official from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE); a senior official from the Department of Internal Affairs; and a senior official from the Department of Conservation.

Western Bay of Plenty Council previously received $340,000 from MBIE to help manage freedom camping over summer. This has funded the installation of a KiwiCamp facility at Seaforth Road at Bowentown for this summer.

More information about the projects funded can be found on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's website.