Bruce Lochore: Motor Caravan Association CEO defends freedom campers amid proposed Rotorua crackdown

Freedom campers are pushing back at a Rotorua holiday park manager's claims they're breaking the rules. 

All Seasons Manager, Tracie Thornborough, is asking Rotorua Council to clamp down on freedom campers. 

She says they're staying too long - and don't support local businesses. 

But Motor Caravan Association CEO, Bruce Lochore, says Government research disputed such claims four years ago. 

"They show substantially that they do contribute to that local economy when they come in."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now there is a debate about freedom camp camping and
the manager of a holiday park has asked the council
over there to crack down on freedom camping because apparently
the camps are breaking the rules and how long they
can stay in one spot, and they also don't support
the support the local economy much. Bruce la who is
the CEO of the Motor Caravan Association and with us, Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Bruce, hi, is that true?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Well? Thank you? Is it true that they're breaking the
no more than two nights rule and they're not really
spending that much money in town?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well two parts of that. I don't know how long
they're staying, whether they're breaking the two night rule at all,
but they will be spending money in town. So there's
no question there's two different things going on there.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
How do you know they're spending money in town, because
if they rock up with all the stuff that they need,
maybe they're not.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well. Dy did the research themselves on us back in
two twenty, so we've always known because we've always researched
our own members about what they spend per night while
they're away, and that's normally around about ninety dollars for
our members for two an event boo night. That's their
freedom camping if they're out and about. So Ndy did

(01:06):
their own research on this back in two twenty. They
used Fresh Info, a research company, and they came up
with a whole list of spending across four different categories,
domestic that's US, and then international, those who purchased a vehicle,
those who hired a budget vehicle, and those that hired

(01:28):
an expensive vehicle. And they came up with daily figures
for that, which indicates that they do spend and also
goes alongside that how long they spend in the country,
which are along with those different categories, so they show
substantially that they do contribute to that local economy when

(01:49):
they come up.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Do you think this is just a case of a
holiday park trying to protect its patch and look after
its own business.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah exactly. I mean we come across this time after time,
but all of us. But you know, she shouldn't be
too upset about it, because with the figures that came
out of NB even if they say someone's picture one
of those little vehicles that we're talking about, which of
course are going to be out under the new legislation anyway,

(02:17):
But they stayed in average are two hundred and eleven
nights in the country, and half of that was freedom camping,
and half of that was stayed and paid accommodation, so
in a campground because they'll go with there, do their
washing and have a shower and all of that sort
of stuff. So they get half of that market anyway,
and that's not too dissimilar for the budget and the

(02:39):
premium hires short shortest days forty eight days and thirty
two nights, but split between commercial campgrounds and freedom camping,
so they get a crack out of anyway.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Thank you for running as through, really appreciated. Bruce la
hall Mote, Caravan Association CEO.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
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